Use of Shannon Airport to deport Palestinians from US ‘reprehensible’ – The Irish Times
The use of Shannon Airport for flights carrying Palestinians being deported from the United States has been described as “reprehensible”, “deeply disturbing” and “outrageous” by Opposition politicians in the Republic.
It has been reported that a private jet owned by property tycoon Gil Dezer, a long-time business partner of US president Donald Trump, was used for the flights.
An investigation by the Guardian newspaper, with input from Israeli news site +972 Magazine, found that the flights are part of a secretive and politically sensitive US government operation to deport Palestinians arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The first of the two flights passed through Shannon Airport on the night of January 20th/21st with eight Palestinian men on board, reportedly with their wrists and ankles shackled.
They were transported in the Gulfstream jet from Arizona to Tel Aviv in Israel with refuelling stops in New Jersey, Shannon Airport and Bulgaria.
The second flight followed the same route and stopped at Shannon on the night of February 1st/2nd and flew on to Tel Aviv, from where – like the deportees in January – the Palestinians aboard appear to have been taken to the West Bank.
In response to a query on the use of the airport for such flights, a Department of Transport statement noted: “Stops at Irish airports by private aircraft and commercial charters which are technical stops for non-traffic purposes (ie, not picking up or setting down passengers), do not require prior authorisation from the Department of Transport.”
Labour Party foreign affairs spokesman Duncan Smith said: “It is absolutely reprehensible that any Ice deportation flights would be allowed stop and refuel in Shannon. The Taoiseach and Minister for Transport must intervene and ensure this ends … Ireland cannot in any way be complicit in these Ice flights.”
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman said: “It is deeply disturbing to learn that Shannon is being used to facilitate the cruel actions of Donald Trump’s Ice”. He called for the Government to clarify the matter.
Social Democrats foreign affairs spokeswoman Senator Patricia Stephenson also said it was deeply disturbing: “The Coalition must make a statement on whether it knowingly facilitated these flights”, which she claimed were a violation of the human rights of the deportees.
Sinn Féin foreign affairs spokesman Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said the matter “requires immediate clarification” as he questioned if the flights were compliant with international law.
People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy said: “The fact that these were flights deporting Palestinians just adds insult to injury.”
Under Irish law, the transit of weapons through the State or its airspace is prohibited unless an exemption is granted by the Minister for Transport.
The Irish Times asked the Department of Transport if the Government was aware whether or not there were US officials carrying weapons on the flights and, if so, if permission was granted.
A Department statement said: “No authorisation was sought for this flight.”
The Guardian reported that the tail of the private jet used by Ice to deport the Palestinian carries the logo of Dezer Development, a real estate company established by Israeli-American developer Michael Dezer and today run by Gil Dezer, his son.
The Dezers partnered with Trump in the early 2000s and have since built six Trump-branded residential towers in Miami. Together, father and son have donated more than $1.3 million (€1.1 million) to support his presidential campaigns, filings show.
Dezer’s aircraft was chartered by Ice through another company.
In an email, Dezer told the Guardian he was “never privy to the names” of those who travelled on board his jet when it was privately chartered by Journey, or the purpose of the flight. “The only thing I’m notified about is the dates of use,” he said.
He did not respond to further questions from the publication about the use of his jet by the Trump administration.
The US department of homeland security (DHS) told the Guardian it would not answer questions about deportation flights to Israel, but said: “If a judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period.”
The department of state declined to comment to the Guardian beyond saying it “co-ordinates closely with DHS on efforts to repatriate illegal aliens”. Israel’s foreign ministry and prison service declined to comment on their involvement in the operation.
The Irish Times has sought comment from Dezer Development, the departments of homeland security and department of state. – Additional reporting: Guardian
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