Campaign for the Right of Entry/Re-Entry to the Occupied Palestinian Territory(oPt)
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A Grassroots Campaign for the Protection of Foreign Passport Holders Residing in and/or visiting the oPt .
The Issue An undeclared Israeli policy is currently in effect. It denies entry and/or re-entry to foreign nationals, who want to visit, live, or work in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Israel is arbitrarily turning away foreign nationals at Israeli ports of entry, which are the only way to reach the oPt, causing unjustified hardships: families are being separated, investors are exiting the country, educators are unable to reach their schools and universities, students' education is being disrupted, and elderly are being left without caretakers, to state but some of the ramifications.
While Israel’s restrictive entry policy has negative consequences for an entire population and opens up for an array of interrelated socio-economic, political, and humanitarian issues, the Campaign for the Right of Entry/Re-entry to the oPt identifies two main target groups.
I: Family Unification Applicants:
More than 120,000 foreign nationals have applied for family unification as per Israeli-defined regulations, but have been unable to gain permanent residency due to the Israeli refusal to process these applications (the so-called freeze on family unification, which began shortly after the outbreak of the al- Aqsa Intifada in 2000).
II: Visitors:
This refers to foreign nationals, both of Palestinian and non-Palestinian descent, destined for the oPt for short- or longer-term visits. They include relatives, brides and grooms, and also students, teachers, human rights workers, business people, NGO staff etc, who are vital parts of the productive sectors of society.
Solution:
Until the time that the Israeli occupation of the oPt ends, Israel must immediately begin to process all pending applications for family unification in a transparent and accountable fashion. Furthermore, Israel must introduce a visa status that allows for visitors to freely enter/exit the oPt via Israel without the fear of being denied entry or the hassle of having to continuously make short-term renewals. Also, Israel has no right to define who is permitted to be employed in the oPt, and thus should not be permitted to define right of entry for employees in the oPt.
International Humanitarian and Human Rights Laws are the guiding bodies of law that Israel must be forced to apply to the oPt. It is the responsibility and obligation of the international community, especially the signatories of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, to intervene to ensure international law is being properly applied in the service of safeguarding the ‘protected’ Palestinian people.
Peace processes are long in the making. In the meantime, Israel’s unilateral measures, including the attempt to empty Palestine of its population of foreign nationals, whether they be Palestinian or non- Palestinian of origin, are illegal and a threat to peace, stability and prosperity in the whole region.
Did you know that...
...since 1967, Israel has maintained complete control over the population registry of the oPt, and over the granting of permits to visit the oPt. This control continues to extend to the Rafah border crossing in the Gaza Strip even after Israel’s disengagement in 2005. The Palestinians may merely administer the Rafah
border crossing as per Israeli rules and regulations.
Did you know that...
...since the end of 2000, Israel has stopped accepting requests for family unification for Palestinian residents of the oPt married to foreign nationals. Unification applications previously submitted to Israel by the Palestinian Authority have been almost completely frozen. PA’s Ministry for Civil Affairs estimates that it has received more than 120,000 requests for unification since the end of 2000.
Did you know that...
...since the end of 2000 Israel has also stopped granting visitor’s permits to the oPt and by doing so closed the only legal way open to non-resident spouses to live with their resident families.
Did you know that...
...17.2% of Palestinian residents have at least one first-degree relative (spouse, parent, child or sibling) who has not been able to register in the population registry and therefore does not hold an Israeli-issued Palestinian ID-card. 78.4% of these families are affected by the current Israeli prohibition and freeze on family unification.
Did you know that...
...due to Israel’s policy since 2000 and the fear of being separated from their families, tens of thousands of foreign nationals and spouses of residents have become “persons staying illegally” in the oPt. If caught at Israeli checkpoints, these people may be immediately detained and deported.
Did you know that...
... due to the restrictions on family unification and the granting of visitor’s permits, foreign passport holders have for years been relying on a system of continuously renewable 3-months (or shorter) tourist visas. Although such frequent visa renewals are time-consuming and costly, at least they used to be possible. This year there has been a dramatic increase in reported denied-entry cases. Israel is now
refusing to accept these foreign nationals living and working in the oPt as “tourists” while having effectively closed off all other options to legally reside in the area.
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.
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