CHICAGO (CN) - The 7th Circuit allowed a Palestinian man to challenge his deportation to the West Bank on the basis that he faced persecution at the hands of both Israelis and Palestinians.
Judge Kanne overruled the Board of Immigration Appeals' decision to deport Jalal Abu Hamdan, who had a student visa but never attended classes at the University of Chicago.
When Hamdan worked as an archaeologist in the early 1990s, he said he got along well with his Israeli superiors. This allegedly angered his fellow Palestinian workers, who suspected him of being a spy.
With armed Palestinian militants now roaming the streets of the West Bank, anyone suspected of sympathizing with the Israelis is in danger, Hamdan claimed.
"What does matter," Kanne wrote, "is how militant groups perceived Hamdan's political affiliation ... and whether it was likely that they would harm him because of that perception."
Hamdan said he also fears persecution by Israelis, based on their strict employment restrictions on Palestinians in the area.
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