DayofPal—The Trump administration has carried out two deportation flights of Palestinians from the US to Occupied Palestinuan territories using private jets, according to The Guardian and +972 Magazine.
The first flight, on 21 January, carried eight Palestinians from Arizona to Tel Aviv, while the second flight took place on Monday aboard a 16-seat luxury aircraft.
Both flights were operated by Dezer Development, a real estate company founded by Israeli-American businessman Michael Dezer and now run by his son Gil in Florida.
The company confirmed it is not informed of passengers’ identities when chartered by the US government through Journey Aviation.
The deportees were met in Palestinian occupied territories by armed guards and reportedly dropped off “on the side of the road” near Ni’lin in the occupied West Bank.
Among those deported were 24-year-old Maher Awad and 47-year-old Sameer Zeidan, both long-term US residents. They described being shackled for the entire flight, making basic tasks such as eating extremely difficult.
Awad, who arrived in the US at age 15, has a newborn son in Michigan. Zeidan’s family lives in Louisiana. Neither were undocumented, though the Trump administration has targeted green card holders with prior criminal records for deportation.
The flights, which refueled in New Jersey, Ireland, and Bulgaria, drew criticism internationally. Irish lawmakers condemned the permission to refuel in Ireland as “reprehensible” and “outrageous.”
The US State Department defended the deportations as part of its efforts to “restore border security and public safety” under Executive Order 14159.
This operation is unusual, as the US typically uses commercial planes for deportations, and Israel rarely assists in repatriating Palestinians to military-occupied territories.
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