Blood And Banishment

For Palestinians living in the occupied territories, deportations of their brethren evoke fears that one day the Israelis will expel them all from their homes. So it was on Friday, when Israeli authorities deported to Lebanon more than 400 alleged activists from the Muslim fundamentalist movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The expulsions were in retaliation for the shooting of four Israeli soldiers and the Hamas’ kidnap-murder of a border policeman. In the Gaza Strip, at weekend demonstrations to protest the expulsions, six Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli troops. .

The U.N. Security Council condemned the deportations, contending that they violated the Geneva Conventions. The expulsions also threatened the Middle East peace talks. In fact, warned the P.L.O., the Palestinian delegation will quit negotiations if the deportations are not reversed. Israelis and Palestinians in the territories are bracing for more trouble. Hamas has sworn to avenge the deportations, a likely trigger for another heavy Israeli reaction.