Israel to revoke Jerusalem rights of Hamas politicians
Israel today decided to revoke the Jerusalem residency rights of three Hamas politicians, a response to a suicide bombing that killed nine civilians in a Tel Aviv restaurant.
The bombing was carried out by the Islamic Jihad group, but the Palestinians’ new Hamas-led government defended the attack as a justified response to Israeli military strikes.
Interim Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and key Cabinet ministers decided to hold Hamas responsible for the attack.
In one of a list of measures, all Hamas politicians who live in Jerusalem will have their residency rights in the city revoked, participants in the meeting said.
Three Hamas politicians have Jerusalem residence permits.
Israel maintains strict control of access to Jerusalem, including the traditionally Arab eastern sector that it captured in the 1967 Mideast War and later annexed.
The residency permits are highly prized by Palestinians, because they grant them unfettered access to the city, which Palestinians claim for their future capital.
Without the permits, the three politicians are likely to be forced to move to the West Bank.
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