AN Israeli court has criticised the way in which Hala Jaber, an award-winning Sunday Times reporter, was deported from the country in March but has refused to overturn the decision, writes Peter Conradi.

Judge Oded Mudrik said last week there was no indication of a “proper decision-making process” in Jaber’s expulsion. He also noted the potential damage to Israel’s reputation of barring a journalist from an influential newspaper.

However, the judge said he had been shown information in private that was “sufficient to establish a reasonable recommendation” to refuse entry on security grounds. The Israeli security services have refused to disclose this information.

Jaber was named newspaper journalist of the year by Amnesty International in 2003 for reports including a vivid account of a meeting with two Palestinians training to be suicide bombers.

After arriving in Tel Aviv on March 10 she was detained at the airport and expelled three hours later.

The Sunday Times and Jaber challenged the decision in Tel Aviv district court, arguing she posed no threat to security and should be free to do her job in Israel.

The Ministry of the Interior said she had been barred because of contacts with terrorist groups and because she was a potential security risk.

The judge suggested the decision to expel Jaber had been taken by the security service and not, as the law required, by the interior ministry. This meant she was entitled to return to Israel. But he warned she was likely to be refused entry if she did not obtain permission in advance.