Israel expelled late Sunday three Palestinians from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip without trial. Ahmed al-Mushkah, 27, from Jenin, was the first to be taken to the Gaza boundary, military sources told Reuters.
"Even if Israel moves all Palestinians anywhere in the world, it will not help it," Mushkah told reporters on arrival at the Erez crossing. He added he was a member of Islamic Jihad.
The other two Palestinians, identified as Hamas activists Alla Hassuna, 28, from Nablus and Samer Bader, 27, from Ramallah were also deported late on Sunday.
All three were barred from returning to the West Bank for two years, military sources said, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told EUpolitix.com that new Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qurei was a "polished politician" but that he would judge him by his actions in clamping down on armed groups.
"I value him as a man who believes that the end to the conflict is not via war, and I will be happy to negotiate with him," he said.
But the Israeli leader added that Qurei "will not be judged by his declarations or statements, but clearly by the steps he will take to end the Palestinian terror".
"As long as the terror continues there will be no progress towards the fulfilment of the Palestinian state."
The European Union's approach to the Middle East "is not balanced right now", the Israeli leader was quoted as saying by the website. "The state of Israel cannot afford to deposit its destiny in the hands of the Europeans who are known for their unbalanced policy," he said.
Sharon also accused the EU of inaction against rising anti-semitism and alleged Muslims in Europe pose a threat to the lives of Jews, in an interview released Monday.
"I would say, in my opinion, EU governments are not doing enough to tackle anti-semitism," he said, while singling out Italy for holding a "more balanced position" on the peace process.
In his EUpolitix.com interview, Sharon insisted that disapproval of Israel in Europe was the same as hatred of Jews.
He added: "An ever stronger Muslim presence in Europe is certainly endangering the life of Jewish people. This attempt of dismissing our legitimacy to self-defence is testimony to anti-semitism.
"Of course the sheer fact that there are a huge amount of Muslims, approximately 70 million in the EU, this issue has also turned into a political matter."
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
