More Ethnic Cleansing

Israel Issues Last Permits to Foreigners, Splitting Families
November 21st, 2006 Posted in Press Releases, Denial of entry
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Basil Ayish Coordinator, Media Committee: +970-(0)59-817-3953
info@righttoenter.ps

November 20, 2006


All foreign passports of spouses and children of Palestinian ID-holders who had applied for visa extensions were marked recently by the Israeli authorities as “last permit”, and require the passport holders to exit from Israeli controlled entry/exit points before the end of the year. The Israeli Ministry of Interior office at Beit El began returning the passports after a six week Israeli strike. Those who overstay their allotted time will be considered “illegal” and are subject to immediate deportation from the occupied Palestinian territory. In an effort to avoid being considered “illegal” and threatened with arrest by the Israelis, some families are opting to relocate; a silent ethnic cleansing.

The impact of Israel’s practice includes the forced separation of parents from their children and spouses, educators and students from their schools, healthcare, NGO and humanitarian workers from access to needy communities, and business owners from their investments. According to the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Interior, hundreds of applications for Israeli visa extensions following Israeli guidelines were submitted in October and are still pending. An estimated 120,000 family unification residency applications have not been processed by Israel.

Despite official complaints by foreign governments of Israeli discrimination against their citizens, Israel continues to disregard its obligations under international law and agreements and persists in its practice of changing the demographics within the occupied Palestinian territory. Every denial of entry and visa renewal refusal impacts an estimated 10 people, many of whom subsequently resort to moving to another country.

Because Israel refuses to permit non-Jewish foreigners from receiving residency status in the occupied Palestinian territory, the only mechanism for foreign passport-holding spouses and children of Palestinian ID-holders to join their families was to be repeatedly issued 3-month ‘visitor’ permits. The practice was widely expected to be a transitory measure until adequate mechanisms were put in place to provide permanent residence status for non-ID holding family members. Some family members have been following this procedure for more than 30 years as the only option open to them.

On October 14, eleven Palestinian university presidents called on the international community to protect access to education, with Birzeit University reporting a 50 percent decline in foreign passport-holding faculty and staff. The U.S. State Department, EU, and at least one Latin American country have all protested to Israeli officials since October. Foreigners wishing to visit, work in or reside in the occupied Palestinian territory continue to be banned at Israeli-controlled ports of entry.

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/11/21/last-permits-foreigners/