Israel bars Palestinian Americans for first time since 1967

[Violet_Crumble]

For the first time since 1967, Israel is preventing the entry of Palestinians with foreign citizenship, most of them Americans.

Most of those refused entry are arriving from abroad, but have lived and worked for years in the West Bank.

The Interior Ministry and Civil Administration made no formal announcement about a policy change, leaving returnees to discover the situation when they reach the border crossings.

By various estimates, the ban has so far affected several thousand American and European nationals, whom Israel has kept from returning to their homes and jobs, or from visiting their families in the West Bank. This could potentially impact many more thousands who live in the territories - including university instructors and researchers, employees working in various vital development programs and business owners - as well as thousands of foreign citizens who pay annual visits to relatives there. The policy also applies to foreigners who are not Palestinian but are married to Palestinians, and to visiting academics.

The first group to suffer are Palestinians born in the territories, whose residency Israel revoked after 1967 while they were working or studying abroad. Some eventually married residents of the territories, or returned to live with aging parents and siblings. Israel rejected their applications for "family reunification" (i.e., requests to have their residency restored). However, until recently Israel permitted them to continue living in the territories on tourist visas, renewable every three months by exiting and reentering the country. In some cases the State also granted them work permits.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/736349.html

[DELUSIONAL]

1. This is far more than ONE private --

Sounds like the current Israeli leadership wants to solve the Palestinian problem once and for all -- however -- I really doubt that the Palestinians are just going to lie down and die or crawl away into a hole and become invisible.

What is happening -- while the whole world watches is so wrong.

The title "Armed Mad House" -- belongs to what is happening right now -- because the current leadership of Israel is bat shit crazy.

Well to the remaining sane people of Israel -- join the sane people of American who are damned ashamed of the current crazy people who inhabit the white house.

And this is not about one lone Private -- I really doubt the current leadership of Israel really gives a care if the guys lives or dies -- in fact if he dies they can wreck more hell in Gaza -- or murder more children. And it is ALWAYS the children who suffer --

[TomClash]

2. Hmm

Imagine if the US announced a ban on Israeli settlers traveling to the US.

[Englander]

3. Expulsion by the sovereign

By Amira Hass

It might seem that there is no less appropriate moment than now to discuss bureaucratic troubles, even if they are the lot of thousands of people who live in the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank, and whom Israel forbids to return to their homes and families. How can we talk about closed border crossings when in the Gaza Strip and in Israel families are mourning their dear ones who were killed, and Israel is on the verge of war on several fronts?

But on the other hand, the bureaucratic troubles are also a front in and of itself - the demographic front. And on this front, Israel is actually chalking up successes. The latest is an expulsion order that it is implementing mainly with respect to Palestinians who are citizens of the United States and other Western countries, and also in the cases of non-Palestinians who are married to Palestinians, and of people working in the territories. As opposed to the belligerent declarations on the military front, the civilian generals from the Interior, Justice and Defense Ministries have not publicly announced their expulsion order.

There are four specific categories of people who are citizens of Western countries, who are affected by this order: Palestinians born in the territories (including East Jerusalem), whose Palestinian residency was revoked after 1967; Palestinians born abroad; non-Palestinians who are married to Palestinians; and foreign citizens who work in academic institutions or humanitarian organizations in the territories.

The vast majority are Palestinians who have returned to live here with their families on their private and national land, have come to invest in the private sector, or have joined research-related and academic institutions. Until recently, their American and European passports protected them, even after Israel issued (in late 2000) a similar expulsion order against citizens of Arab countries who have families and work in the occupied territories. All these are people living in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank - not in the State of Israel.

Israel did not permit those included in the first three categories to register as residents, but allowed them to remain as tourists - i.e., to leave the country and to renew their visas every three months. The same was true for members of academic institutions and other non-Palestinians. But suddenly, since March or April, it turns out that a change has taken place in the long-standing policy: People went abroad to renew their visa and when they returned, Israel's Border Police refused to give them one. Do you have an elderly and ailing father? Are your children in school? Were you born here, like your parents and grandparents? Is your work here? Who cares. Israel is the sovereign and Israel decides.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=738422&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0

[UndertheOcean]

4. Shameful

:(