P.O.Box 46081, London W9 2ZF jfjfp@jfjfp.org
Page last updated
March 11, 2007
Understanding the conflict
Residential rights
Page under construction1. 1. Israeli Committee for Right of Residency (ICRR)
The Israeli Committee for Residency Rights refers to Residency Rights for Palestinians, for citizens of foreign countries who are of Palestinian descent, and for others who wish to live in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. ICRR is an ad hoc committee, has no officers, and has no means of funding itself apart from the good will of the small number of committee members to donate.
As you know, Israel maintains the sole right to register Palestinians as residents of the OPT and to allow or deny entry into the OPT. Since the outbreak of the 2nd intifada in 2000, Israel has stopped registering individuals as residents to who had not previously been registered. Israel did however allow holders of foreign passports who were not registered to reside in the OPT by means of renewing visas every 3 months by exiting the country and re-entering. Since March 2006 this ended. Israel began implementing a policy of denying entry to the OPT to individuals with foreign passports. Most of these individuals reside in the OPT, many have resided there for years, have married, established families and businesses. As a result of the new policy, families have been split apart, with one spouse a Palestinian in the OPT , the other a foreign passport holder who exited for the purpose of renewing the visa for another 3 months but denied re-entry.
Recently, the responsibility for giving permits to enter the OPT has been transferred from the Ministry of Interior to COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories), under the supervision of General Yosef Mishlav. He related to certain foreign embassies that he intended to implement a program to solve the problem of entry being denied (see attachment with report by Finnish embassy, at the ). But all of this was verbal. Nothing has been put into writing. And there has been no change in policy on the ground. But because nothing has been put into writing, one cannot legally challenge the lack of implementation nor appeal it.
ICRR is now confronting this whole policy which is having a devastating effect on academic, professional and social life on the West Bank. So far all its activities have been on a voluntary basis and self-funded. But aspects of its work such as legal challenges in the Israeli courts will require significant funding, and the need is NOW.*********
Please donate to help ICRR develop its campaign. This work is charitable and the British Shalom Salaam Trust has offered to process donations which will enable it to reclaim tax on them and increase the value of the donations.
Please make cheques payable to BSST and send them to ICRR c/o BSST, P.O.Box 46081, London W9 2ZF with a declaration that: "I pay UK (income or capital gains) tax at least equal to the amount of tax recoverable by the British Shalom-Salaam Trust (No 1103211) and wish that donations made by me until further notice be treated as Gift Aid donations." BSST can also accept trust and charity (eg CAF) cheques.
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There is also a grassroots Campaign for the Right of Entry/Re-Entry to the Occupied Palestinian Territory(oPt) in Palestine which ICRR works closely with.
'Israel has recently intensified its practices regarding restriction of entry or re-entry to the oPt with respect to residents of and visitors to the OPT (Gaza Strip and West Bank) who do not hold a Palestinian ID issued by the Israeli Ministry of Interior. A Palestinian ID is a personal identification document issued by Israel for Palestinian residents and their children.
Israel is now systematically denying entry or return to the oPt via the international Israeli borders at Ben Gurion Airport, Allenby Bridge, Sheikh Hussein Bridge, and Eilat. Most of those affected are Palestinian natives, spouses, children, parents and other close relatives of Palestinian ID holders. The policy affects entire families or individual members of families, like the father or the mother of minor children. As a result, families are torn apart, jobs or businesses lost and personal property becomes inaccessible.
The practice applies to people with and without Palestinian or Arab origins, and to those with and without local family relations. In addition to families, effected groups include professionals and academics who are in the oPt for teaching, research, the arts, business, visiting or volunteering their services. Most of these individuals have never overstayed their visitor's visas or breached any visiting regulations. It must be noted that Israel has reserved for itself the exclusive power of civil registration and issuing IDs for Palestinians, visitors' visas and work permits for non-ID holders to the oPt. By these means it is conducting a swift and effective 'silent transfer' of the Palestinian population while the latter is living at the merci of the Israeli occupation authorities. In addition to the people already locked out, there are many more still in the oPt and at risk of deportation or re-entry denial once they exit the country's international borders to comply with Israeli visa regulations.'
(1) Did you know that...
...since May 2006, the biggest university in the West Bank, Birzeit University, has seen a 50% decline in employees with foreign passports and lists the recent rise of visa-refusals as a significant attributable factor. Birzeit University hosts 400 non-resident students, all of whom are at risk of deportation or denial of entry upon their next visa-renewal.
Personal testimonies
1. Hayyan Yacoub Jubeh's story
Born in Palestine, Hayyan Yacoub Jubeh and two of his four children are not allowed to live any longer in Ramallah with his wife and his other two children...2. The sad story of my friend Sam
Gershon Baskin, Jerusalem Post, 25th September 2006When the peace process got under way after 1993...Palestinian expatriates were called on by both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority to come back to Palestine and build their future while contributing to peace.
That's what Sam did. Only Sam didn't know that Israel would continue to control the population registry, and that he would have to leave the country every three months in order to be able to stay in the country.
But Sam is a law-abiding citizen, and so every three months he left the country in order to get a new three-month tourist visa.
Now everyone knew Sam wasn't a tourist, but everyone has been playing the game of make-believe that he was so he could stay in Ramallah with his wife and children and could continue to manage the successful businesses he has worked so hard to build.
THOUSANDS of people have been playing the same game for years...
At the end of this month, in a few days, Sam will have to leave the country again - but this time he will not be coming back. Someone decided that the charade has to end.
A certain Mr. Gur Lavie, who is in charge of Palestinian population registration for the West Bank, said to me last week: ... "let him apply for family reunification."
Brilliant idea! Some 120,000 family reunification files have been opened since 2000, but since the beginning of the intifada in September 2000, the State of Israel has stopped reviewing family reunification files.
... [Sam Bahour] ... is not alone. He is one of thousands of Palestinians who have no Palestinian ID issued by the Palestinian Authority, thus, he has no ID approved by the State of Israel. Sam Bahour only has his US passport and that document is no longer useful for getting him permission to live in Ramallah.
The official I spoke to is implementing a policy which is nothing more than a form of ethnic cleansing...
