Claiming Hamas links, Israel bans J’lem man from travel

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli Interior Ministry on Thursday slapped a Palestinian man from East Jerusalem with a six-month travel ban on claims he belongs to Gaza-based Palestinian faction Hamas.

In a statement, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said the ban was issued against Mohamed Fawzi Arnaout, describing the latter as a “prominent Hamas activist” whose continued ability to travel abroad posed “a threat to Israel’s security” and who has been subject to previous travel bans.

Responding to the move, Arnaout, who works as a teacher at a school in East Jerusalem, told Anadolu Agency: “For the last four years, I’ve been banned from travel in line with [ministry] decisions that have been renewed every six months.”

He described Israeli claims that he was a Hamas activist as “baseless”, going on to assert that had not been officially informed of the latest travel ban, which he says he learned about from local media reports.

Hamas, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007, adheres to a policy of armed resistance against Israel’s decades-long occupation.