Elias Khayyo is 41. He was born in East Jerusalem and currently resides in the Christian Quarter of the Old City, where his parents also live. The Israeli Interior Ministry is demanding that this resident of East Jerusalem be deported for having spent too many years in the United State, Haaretz daily reported.
Khayyo says he has no relatives in America, nor a home, property or employment there.
Excerpt:
The Interior Ministry, however, maintains that his permanent residency in Israel was revoked in January 2006, due to Khayyo having lived in the U.S. from 1998 to 2005 and receiving permanent-residence status there. Khayyo received bachelor's and master's degrees in biology over two extended stays in the U.S. He is now working as a translator in Jerusalem.
The ministry claims Khayyo resided abroad for more than seven years, and that he returned to Israel in 2005 as a tourist by presenting U.S. travel documents.
Khayyo was detained at the Qalandiyah checkpoint on January 10 while en route from Ramallah to Jerusalem, and his identity documents and mobile phone were confiscated. He was instructed to sign unspecified documents but refused, stating that the documents in question were written only in Hebrew.
Khayyo was then transported to Givon by members of the Oz task force against immigration violations. Once there, he was informed that papers had been filed for his deportation from Israel.
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1 Feb 2010 4:30 AM
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