Former MK Uri Avnery was present Monday during the deliberations of the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on the remand in custody of the Palestinian Parliamentarian Abu Tir, The deliberations, lasting four hours, ended without a decision. Judge Karmi Mossek announced that he would give his ruling at another time, letting Abu Tir be returned to detention in the meantime.

The state claims that Abu Tir is an "illegal alien", who has no right to stay in Jerusalem while contesting the Interior Ministry's decision to revoke his residence permit, and that he must get out of the city as a condition to being released on bail, pending another ruling.

Avnery said that his very presence during the proceedings in order to express protest against the distortion and exploitation of Israel's law to expel Jerusalemites from their city. He stated that "Abu Tir has a no other identity, no other identity card, no other residence - the sole center of his life in East Jerusalem. Defining such a person as an 'illegal alien' is a distortion of Israeli law and its transformation into a monster."

Adv. Osama Saadi, Abu Tir's attorney, said in the court that "Today they expel Hamas supporters, tomorrow they would deported Fatah people, and the day after they would throw out people of all faiths. There would be end to it." He also protested the state's call to remand Abu Tir until the end of legal proceedings, an unusual step in such cases.

Most activists who came to attend were left outside, as were several of Abu Tir's family members and friends, because "the courtroom was too small". Avnery said that half of those present in the courtroom were policemen, adding that "this is a severe infringement of the basic principle that legal proceeding should be held in public. In a case of such public importance, a larger hall should have been arranged in advance."

Contact: Uri Avnery 050-5306440 Adam Keller 054-2340749