 [Aljazeera] Israel says it has deported Palestinian-French human rights lawyer Salah Hammouri, capping a years-long attempt to expel the Jerusalem-born advocate who had been in detention without charges since March.
The deportation came amid calls for French President Emmanuel Macron to oppose the deportation to France, whose foreign ministry spokeswoman had previously said Hammouri "must be able to exercise all his rights and lead a normal life in Jerusalem, his city of birth and residence".
In a statement on Sunday, according to the AFP news agency, the French foreign ministry said: "We condemn today the Israeli authorities’ decision, against the law, to expel Salah Hamouri to France".
Meanwhile, the Justice for Salah campaign released an audio message from Hammouri, which he said was recorded as he was being "forcibly deported and uprooted from my homeland".
"Be assured my beloved homeland that I coercively and forcibly leave you today. I leave you today from prison to exile," he said. "But rest assured I will always remain the person you know. Always loyal to you and to your freedom."
In a brief statement on Sunday, Israel’s interior minister, Ayelet Shaked, called Hammouri a "terrorist" and confirmed he had been deported. Hammouri’s Jerusalem residency status had previously been revoked by Israel in 2021. 
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