Palestinian militants leave Cyprus for EU exile

Under tight security, Palestinian militants exiled by Israel left Cyprus today on board two European planes for six EU nations that have agreed to offer them temporary asylum.

Eleven of the men, expelled under a deal that ended Israel’s siege at the Church of the Nativity, boarded a bus outside a beach-front hotel, where they have been confined to since May 10.

They made the short ride to Larnaca airport accompanied by Cypriot anti-terror police in black or camouflaged uniforms.

One of the militants, Mohammed Said, travelled in an ambulance after he was admitted to hospital overnight with a stomach ulcer.

As the car parked next to an Italian executive jet, Said was helped out by a Cypriot policeman and a nurse and escorted to the plane to Italy with two other Palestinians. The plane took off shortly afterwards.

The Palestinians waved a Palestinian flag from the bus and flashed V-for-victory signs.

After stepping down from the bus, the Palestinians hugged and kissed each other. Nine of them left on board a Spanish military aircraft and three left on the Italian plane.

One of them, Jihad Jaara, whose leg was broken by an Israeli sniper bullet, was walking on crutches.

A 13th Palestinian, whose identity was not revealed, will stay behind in Cyprus until an EU member accepts him.

Under a deal approved yesterday, Spain and Italy will each take three, Greece and Ireland will each take two, and Portugal and Belgium will each accept one.

The EU said in a statement that the 12 would stay in their host nations ‘‘on a temporary basis and exclusively on humanitarian grounds’’.

‘‘Each of the member states ... shall provide the Palestinians it receives with a national permit to enter its territory and stay for a period of up to 12 months,’’ implying that they would be authorised to travel beyond the host country’s borders.

EU officials did not say what would happen after that period.

Speaking to a Spanish radio station, EU Middle East envoy Miguel Moratinos said yesterday that the 13 will be able to work or study in the EU countries that accept them.

‘‘They won’t be detained, not at all. They will have freedom, although they will be under a certain control,’’ he said without elaborating.

Portugal, Italy and Greece said the whereabouts of the militants will be kept secret.

Of the 13, three are members of Hamas, a militant group advocating a strict version of Islam. Most belong to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s Fatah group.

Both Hamas and Al-Aqsa are responsible for most of the 60 suicide bombings that killed dozens of Israelis since the current bout of Palestinian-Israeli violence began nearly 20 months ago.

They were among about 200 Palestinians, including several dozen gunmen, who ran into the Bethlehem church on April 2 to flee Israeli troops advancing as part of a major offensive in the West Bank following a wave of suicide bombings in Israel.