In a move security officials are openly calling “highly unusual,” the United States has deported eight Palestinians to the Israeli-occupied West Bank using a privately chartered jet, bypassing standard commercial deportation procedures and raising serious legal, diplomatic, and ethical questions.
According to reporting by Haaretz, the deportation took place Wednesday when a Gulfstream IV aircraft landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The jet is believed to be owned by an Israeli-American billionaire with close personal and business ties to US President Donald Trump, including joint real estate ventures.
A Deportation Outside Normal Protocol
US deportations are typically carried out on commercial flights, often coordinated with destination countries through routine immigration channels. This case broke sharply from that norm.
Instead, US authorities allegedly chartered a private jet, coordinated directly with Israeli officials, and transferred custody of the deportees immediately upon arrival. The eight individuals—whose identities have not been disclosed—were accused of remaining in the US without valid residency permits, not of any violent or security-related crimes.
Upon landing, they were met by Israel Prison Service officers and representatives from Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Video obtained by Haaretz shows at least one of the deportees descending the aircraft stairs in handcuffs, surrounded by Israeli security personnel.
From Private Jet to Military Checkpoint
After landing, the group was transported to a military checkpoint near the illegal settlement of Modi’in Illit, where custody was transferred to the Israeli Civil Administration. The individuals were then released into the West Bank.
Israeli officials cited by Haaretz said the operation required special approval from Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency. That approval reportedly came only after authorities determined the deportees posed no security threat.
A Rare Request From Washington
Sources familiar with the operation described it as the result of a rare and direct request from Washington to Tel Aviv, underscoring how politically sensitive and irregular the deportation was.
The flight itself reportedly made refuelling stops in Ireland and Bulgaria, further emphasizing the extraordinary logistics involved. Based on standard charter rates—estimated at $15,000 per flight hour—the round-trip cost may have approached $300,000, a staggering sum for deporting eight individuals accused solely of immigration violations.
Neither the US Embassy in Tel Aviv nor Israel’s Foreign Ministry has offered public comment, fueling speculation about why such an expensive, private, and tightly coordinated operation was deemed necessary.
Legal and Ethical Questions Mount
The case raises pressing questions:
Why was a private aircraft necessary for a routine immigration enforcement action?
Who authorized the expense, and under what legal framework?
Why were deportees delivered to an occupied territory, rather than a recognized sovereign state or place of origin?
What precedent does this set for future deportations involving Palestinians?
Human rights advocates argue that deporting individuals into an occupied territory under military control introduces serious concerns under international law, particularly when the deportees have no due process protections on arrival.
A Broader Pattern of Pressure
The deportation comes amid escalating pressure on Palestinians in the West Bank, including arrests, settlement expansion, and the removal of foreign activists supporting Palestinian farmers. Just days earlier, Israel announced the deportation of 32 foreign activists accused of backing Palestinians facing settler violence.
Together, these developments suggest a tightening web of enforcement and coordination—one that increasingly blurs the lines between immigration policy, occupation, and political power.
For now, one thing is clear: this was no ordinary deportation. And until US and Israeli officials explain why extraordinary measures were taken, the operation will continue to raise uncomfortable questions about accountability, transparency, and the unequal treatment of Palestinians on the global stage.
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