Israeli media estimates the flight cost roughly $300,000.
The Trump administration chartered a private jet owned by an Israeli American businessman to deport eight Palestinians to the occupied West Bank this week, raising questions about the administration’s immigration policies and its relationship with Israel. The move, described as “highly unusual,” underscores a growing pattern of targeting Palestinians and pro-Palestine activists.
Deportation Details and Costs
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The Palestinians were transported on a Gulfstream IV owned by a real estate partner of President Donald Trump, Haaretz reports, and handed over to Israeli Prison Service officials by U.S. law enforcement. Footage reportedly shows one of the deported Palestinians exiting the plane in handcuffs, with Israeli security personnel waiting below. Israeli officials then transported them to a checkpoint near an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank, where they were released.
The chartered flight took off from New York and made two refueling stops—in Ireland and Bulgaria—before landing at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport on Wednesday. The entire operation is estimated to have cost around $300,000, based on a market rate of approximately $15,000 per hour for a private jet of that type.
Special Request from U.S. Officials
Sources told Haaretz that the deportation to the West Bank was carried out at the specific request of U.S. officials to their Israeli counterparts. The request was reportedly approved after Israeli officials “determined that the deportees had no security background.” U.S. officials maintained that the Palestinians were in the U.S. illegally, though Haaretz did not identify its sources.
What is the Trump administration’s history with Palestinian deportations? The Department of Homeland Security has increasingly targeted Palestinians and pro-Palestine activists in its broader immigration crackdown.
The Department of Homeland Security has previously halted visas for Gazans and reportedly used artificial intelligence to identify and target pro-Palestine activists. The administration is currently attempting to deport Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil to Algeria and has previously sought to revoke the visas of other pro-Palestine advocates. Numerous pro-Israel groups have also reportedly assisted in the administration’s campaign against pro-Palestine activists.
Previous Use of Israeli-Owned Jet for Deportations
The identity of the jet owner remains unclear, but reports indicate that the Trump administration has previously utilized an Israeli-owned jet for deportation purposes. In October, Zeteo reported that a Gulfstream IV owned by an Israeli American billionaire family with close ties to President Donald Trump was used to fly 10 immigrants from Louisiana to Eswatini, a small country in southern Africa.
The jet is owned by Michael Dezer and his family through a shell company, according to the report. The Dezers and their firm, Dezer Development, have a long-standing relationship with Trump, having assisted him in developing Trump-branded properties in Florida during the 1990s.
Analysts matched publicly available flight data showing an aircraft departing from Alexandria, Louisiana—a location with numerous Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers—and landing in Eswatini, coinciding with reports of the country receiving deportees. Eswatini’s government confirmed it was receiving the deportees and would hold them until arrangements for their return to their countries of origin could be made. Human Rights Watch has reported that the U.S. has an agreement with Eswatini to accept up to 160 people in exchange for $5.1 million.
