Exiled Palestinians head to Ireland

A Spanish plane will fly the militants to Ireland

By Shane Harrison BBC correspondent in Dublin

Two Palestinian militants from the siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity are expected to arrive in Ireland on Thursday to take up a year's residence.

They are part of a group of 13 Palestinians who were initially deported to Cyprus under an agreement that brought the five week stand-off to an end.

This action is... evidence of our desire to see peaceful solutions to these problems

Irish Foreign Ministry

But mystery surrounds many details of the arrival of the two men in Ireland.

Their names have not been released, it is not clear whether they will be flying in to a military airport and it is not yet known where they will be staying.

The lack of information may be for security reasons - the group has been described by Israel as "the most wanted of wanted men".

Israel has not officially ruled out an extradition request against the 13, but officials in Ireland's foreign ministry say they believe such a possibility is unlikely.

Asylum

The pair coming to Ireland will, in effect, have the status of temporary refugees, granted on humanitarian grounds.

Dublin could be the militants' home for a year

They will not be jailed but nor will they be permitted to leave the Irish Republic.

All 13 have pledged to observe the laws and policies of the EU states that are providing them with temporary homes.

If the two men have not returned to the Middle East within a year, the Irish authorities will review their status and they may be eligible to seek political asylum.

Their families will be allowed to apply for entry to the country. But Palestinian sources in Ireland say the pair aim to return to their homeland as soon as possible.

A spokesman for the Irish Foreign Ministry said: "Ireland has long been committed to assisting in the resolution of the problems of the Middle East and this action is concrete and practical evidence of our desire to see peaceful solutions to these difficult problems."