Israel modified new rules governing life in the occupied West Bank and postponed on Sunday the implementation of these procedures, criticized by both Washington and human rights organizations, who consider them intrusive and restrictive.
First published in February, the new procedures for entering the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 by Israel, are aimed at foreigners who wish to reside, work, volunteer or study there.
The regulation, which was due to take effect on Monday, notably required foreign passport holders to inform Israeli authorities within 30 days of formalizing a romantic relationship in the West Bank.
Cogat, the Israeli Defense Ministry body that oversees civilian activities in the Palestinian territories, published a revised text on Sunday that removes the paragraph on this issue. These new measures will come into force on October 20.
The implementation of these procedures had already been postponed twice because they were challenged before the Israeli Supreme Court by 19 plaintiffs, including the Israeli human rights organization Hamoked, which denounces “intrusive and superfluous criteria”.
Israel “removed the most shocking elements”
The text provided that foreign spouses of Palestinians would initially be granted permits of three or six months, and most of them would have to leave the West Bank for six months before obtaining a new permit. This compulsory period outside the West Bank has been abolished. According to Hamoked director Jessica Montell, Israel “removed the most offensive material.”
“But the main problem remains: if a spouse is a foreigner, Israel will prevent thousands of families from reuniting, for obvious political and demographic reasons,” he laments.
On Twitter, US Ambassador Tom Nides said Sunday, after Cogat’s amended rules were released, “I expect the Israeli government … to treat all citizens fairly … foreigners who they travel to the West Bank.
For Salem Barahmeh, executive director of the Palestinian Institute for Public Diplomacy, part of the new Israeli rules were about “control and isolation.”
“The other part is: If they can’t be together in Palestine, they will have to leave,” he wrote on Twitter.
University life was also affected: Israel had set annual quotas of 100 professors and 150 students allowed to live in the West Bank, much less than in 2020. Its decision had been criticized by the European Union, since it could affect many students in particular. . Erasmus. These quotas do not appear in the modified version.
Source: BFM TV
