23 june 2016
Two Likud Knesset members submitted on Wednesday a bill calling for imposing a seven-year waiting period between the issuing of an administrative demolition order against illegal outposts in the West Bank and its implementation.
This step came after Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu recently asked Likud lawmakers to come up with legislation postponing the demolition of the Amona outpost, ordered in 2014 by the high court of justice.
The Israeli court ruling came in response to a petition filed by the NGO Yesh Din on behalf of 10 Palestinians from the nearby village of Silwad who claim ownership of the land.
The outpost, which is located on the outskirts of the Ofra settlement, was first built in 1995 with a NIS 2.16 million grant from the ministry of construction and housing.
The Knesset bill, which was submitted by MKs Miki Zohar and David Bitan, does not name Amona specifically. Haaretz newspaper described Amona as a "sputtering time bomb for the coalition."
"Netanyahu evacuating settlers by force would hurt him and Likud badly ahead of the next elections," a Likud MK told Haaretz Wednesday.
"Netanyahu does not want to evict the settlers, and more than that, he does not want to trample on his natural constituency," the Likud source added.
According to the source, evacuating Amona could be the move that spurs Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett to stalk out of the government coalition, taking quite a few Likud voters with him, and Netanyahu would not want that either.
Sources in Habayit Hayehudi already warned earlier this month that the demolition of Amona could be grounds for abandoning the coalition, according to Haaretz.
This step came after Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu recently asked Likud lawmakers to come up with legislation postponing the demolition of the Amona outpost, ordered in 2014 by the high court of justice.
The Israeli court ruling came in response to a petition filed by the NGO Yesh Din on behalf of 10 Palestinians from the nearby village of Silwad who claim ownership of the land.
The outpost, which is located on the outskirts of the Ofra settlement, was first built in 1995 with a NIS 2.16 million grant from the ministry of construction and housing.
The Knesset bill, which was submitted by MKs Miki Zohar and David Bitan, does not name Amona specifically. Haaretz newspaper described Amona as a "sputtering time bomb for the coalition."
"Netanyahu evacuating settlers by force would hurt him and Likud badly ahead of the next elections," a Likud MK told Haaretz Wednesday.
"Netanyahu does not want to evict the settlers, and more than that, he does not want to trample on his natural constituency," the Likud source added.
According to the source, evacuating Amona could be the move that spurs Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett to stalk out of the government coalition, taking quite a few Likud voters with him, and Netanyahu would not want that either.
Sources in Habayit Hayehudi already warned earlier this month that the demolition of Amona could be grounds for abandoning the coalition, according to Haaretz.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shake
Lawmakers move to formulate legislation enabling them to order websites to remove content of incitement to violence; Justice Minister Shaked: 'We will focus on removing terrorist content.'
Israel's Justice Ministry is drafting legislation that would enable it to order Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media to remove online postings it deems to be inciting terrorism.
"We are working on draft legislation, similar to what is being done in other countries; one law that would allow for a judicial injunction to order the removal of certain content, such as websites that incite to terrorism," Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said.
"There should be some measure of accountability for Internet companies regarding the illegal activities and content that is published through their services," Shaked told a cybersecurity conference in Tel Aviv this week.
Israel blames a wave of Palestinian attacks which erupted in October last year on incitement to violence by the Palestinian leadership and on social media. Palestinian leaders claim many attackers have acted out of desperation in the absence of movement towards creating an independent Palestinian state.
A spokeswoman for Shaked said it was too early to say what measures or sanctions might be included in the law, which would need parliamentary approval, but that it was likely to be similar to those introduced in France.
France has made far-reaching changes to surveillance laws since the attacks on Charlie Hebdo last year. It has taken steps to blacklist jihadi sites that "apologise for terrorism", but stopped short of using such laws to censor major Internet services.
"The legislation ... will focus on removing prohibited content, with an emphasis on terrorist content, or blocking access to prohibited content," Shaked's spokeswoman said.
Governments around the world have been grappling with how to block online incitement to criminal activity, while major Internet services have stepped up campaigns to identify and remove Web postings that incite violence.
Facebook, Google and Twitter are working more aggressively to combat online propaganda and recruiting by Islamic militants while trying to avoid the perception they are helping the authorities police the Web.
Turkey has regularly censored YouTube, Facebook and Twitter in domestic political disputes. In 2015, more than 90 percent of all court orders for Twitter to remove illegal content worldwide came from Turkey, the company has reported.
Russia has used anti-terrorist laws to censor independent web sites, media organizations and global Internet sites, while China's tightly controlled Internet blocks what it considers terrorist propaganda under general laws against incitement to criminal activity.
Shaked said governments and Internet services need to find ways to cooperate so that companies can quickly take down content deemed criminal that has been published on their platform.
"We are promoting cooperation with content providers, sensitizing them as to content that violates Israeli law or the provider's terms of service," Shaked said.
A spokesman for Facebook in Israel declined to comment.
Google's YouTube subsidiary has clear policies that prohibit content like gratuitous violence, hate speech and incitement to commit violent acts, a company spokesman said.
"We remove videos violating these policies when flagged by our users. We also terminate any account registered by a member of a designated 'foreign terrorist organisation'," he said.
Lawmakers move to formulate legislation enabling them to order websites to remove content of incitement to violence; Justice Minister Shaked: 'We will focus on removing terrorist content.'
Israel's Justice Ministry is drafting legislation that would enable it to order Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media to remove online postings it deems to be inciting terrorism.
"We are working on draft legislation, similar to what is being done in other countries; one law that would allow for a judicial injunction to order the removal of certain content, such as websites that incite to terrorism," Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said.
"There should be some measure of accountability for Internet companies regarding the illegal activities and content that is published through their services," Shaked told a cybersecurity conference in Tel Aviv this week.
Israel blames a wave of Palestinian attacks which erupted in October last year on incitement to violence by the Palestinian leadership and on social media. Palestinian leaders claim many attackers have acted out of desperation in the absence of movement towards creating an independent Palestinian state.
A spokeswoman for Shaked said it was too early to say what measures or sanctions might be included in the law, which would need parliamentary approval, but that it was likely to be similar to those introduced in France.
France has made far-reaching changes to surveillance laws since the attacks on Charlie Hebdo last year. It has taken steps to blacklist jihadi sites that "apologise for terrorism", but stopped short of using such laws to censor major Internet services.
"The legislation ... will focus on removing prohibited content, with an emphasis on terrorist content, or blocking access to prohibited content," Shaked's spokeswoman said.
Governments around the world have been grappling with how to block online incitement to criminal activity, while major Internet services have stepped up campaigns to identify and remove Web postings that incite violence.
Facebook, Google and Twitter are working more aggressively to combat online propaganda and recruiting by Islamic militants while trying to avoid the perception they are helping the authorities police the Web.
Turkey has regularly censored YouTube, Facebook and Twitter in domestic political disputes. In 2015, more than 90 percent of all court orders for Twitter to remove illegal content worldwide came from Turkey, the company has reported.
Russia has used anti-terrorist laws to censor independent web sites, media organizations and global Internet sites, while China's tightly controlled Internet blocks what it considers terrorist propaganda under general laws against incitement to criminal activity.
Shaked said governments and Internet services need to find ways to cooperate so that companies can quickly take down content deemed criminal that has been published on their platform.
"We are promoting cooperation with content providers, sensitizing them as to content that violates Israeli law or the provider's terms of service," Shaked said.
A spokesman for Facebook in Israel declined to comment.
Google's YouTube subsidiary has clear policies that prohibit content like gratuitous violence, hate speech and incitement to commit violent acts, a company spokesman said.
"We remove videos violating these policies when flagged by our users. We also terminate any account registered by a member of a designated 'foreign terrorist organisation'," he said.
Gilad Erdan
The minister of public security is reportedly on the police document from 2014 that collected information on possible crimes committed by elected officials; the information on Erdan is allegedly connected with his management of the 2014 Likud primaries.
Minster of Public Security Gilad Erdan, who oversees the Israel Police, is amongst the politicians whose names appear on a police document that summarizes preliminary suspicions and intelligence on various alleged crimes perpetrated by multiple MKs and ministers.
Israel's Channel 2 reported on Tuesday night that the information is apparently connected to the primary elections that the minister managed in 2014 and to donations that he received. Erdan himself was not investigated on the matter. At the time, he did not hold his current ministerial portfolio.
Sources in the police's Investigations and Intelligence Department emphasized that the information would not necessarily lead to a criminal investigation.
At the beginning of the week, Channel 10 revealed that in 2014, Deputy Commissioner Meni Yitzhaki, head of the Investigations Branch, to prepare a document that would concentrate all the information the police held on suspicions of alleged crimes perpetrated by MKs and ministers. They alleged that such documents had not been prepared by Yitzhaki's predecessors.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit claimed that the document was prepared two years ago and was used for professional and operative needs only, "and not for collecting material on elected officials." He clarified that the police does not initiate intelligence-gathering on MKs or ministers without authorization from the state attorney or the attorney general.
The minister of public security is reportedly on the police document from 2014 that collected information on possible crimes committed by elected officials; the information on Erdan is allegedly connected with his management of the 2014 Likud primaries.
Minster of Public Security Gilad Erdan, who oversees the Israel Police, is amongst the politicians whose names appear on a police document that summarizes preliminary suspicions and intelligence on various alleged crimes perpetrated by multiple MKs and ministers.
Israel's Channel 2 reported on Tuesday night that the information is apparently connected to the primary elections that the minister managed in 2014 and to donations that he received. Erdan himself was not investigated on the matter. At the time, he did not hold his current ministerial portfolio.
Sources in the police's Investigations and Intelligence Department emphasized that the information would not necessarily lead to a criminal investigation.
At the beginning of the week, Channel 10 revealed that in 2014, Deputy Commissioner Meni Yitzhaki, head of the Investigations Branch, to prepare a document that would concentrate all the information the police held on suspicions of alleged crimes perpetrated by MKs and ministers. They alleged that such documents had not been prepared by Yitzhaki's predecessors.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit claimed that the document was prepared two years ago and was used for professional and operative needs only, "and not for collecting material on elected officials." He clarified that the police does not initiate intelligence-gathering on MKs or ministers without authorization from the state attorney or the attorney general.
22 june 2016
An Israeli military court sentenced four Palestinian anti-occupation youths to two life-sentences and 30 years in jail.
The Salem military court issued the sentences against Abdullah Al-Haj Hamad, his brother Yahya, Amjad Alewi, Karam al-Mesri, and Sameer al-Koussa on account of their involvement in the Itamar anti-occupation shooting attack in October 2015.
According to Abdullah al-Haj Hamad, the Israeli judge forced the captives’ families out of the court room allegedly after the detainees’ refused to be brought before the judge.
Meanwhile, a court hearing is expected to be held sometime next month over the case of the three Palestinian detainees Ragheb Alewi, Zayd Amer, and Bassam al-Sayeh, accused of the same charges.
Over recent months, the Israeli occupation authorities knocked down the homes of five Palestinian anti-occupation activists.
The Salem military court issued the sentences against Abdullah Al-Haj Hamad, his brother Yahya, Amjad Alewi, Karam al-Mesri, and Sameer al-Koussa on account of their involvement in the Itamar anti-occupation shooting attack in October 2015.
According to Abdullah al-Haj Hamad, the Israeli judge forced the captives’ families out of the court room allegedly after the detainees’ refused to be brought before the judge.
Meanwhile, a court hearing is expected to be held sometime next month over the case of the three Palestinian detainees Ragheb Alewi, Zayd Amer, and Bassam al-Sayeh, accused of the same charges.
Over recent months, the Israeli occupation authorities knocked down the homes of five Palestinian anti-occupation activists.
21 june 2016
Avichai Mandelblit
Avichai Mandelblit addressed allegations that the Israel Police had collected and concealed information on criminal acts by elected officials; he detailed the procedure that would require the state attorney and his signoff for investigations into politicians' alleged criminal activities.
Gil Limon, the Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's senior advisor, sent a letter penned by Mandelblit on Monday in which he addressed the recent report on Israel's Channel 10 that claimed that the police's Investigations and Intelligence Department had collected material raising suspicions of elected officials' criminal activities.
"The Israel Police does not collect information on ministers or members of Knesset," the attorney general wrote. "As is customary, significant information that comes to the Israel Police that raises suspicion of alleged criminal activity by a minister or a member of parliament is transferred immediately to the state attorney and the attorney general. Further handling (of such cases) requires their preliminary approval.
"The document that was the subject of the (Channel 10) report was prepared by the Israel Police two years ago. The document was prepared for review purposes to make sure that no such significant information was held by intelligence services or Israel Police that had not come to the attention of the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Department in the Israel Police and been transferred by him to the state attorney and the attorney general.
"It goes without saying that part of the information in the document led to and served as the basis for criminal investigations, some of which are well-known. The allegation that the document was prepared for any purpose other than the professional-operation purpose described above is baseless. The attorney general backs the work of the Investigations and Intelligence Department and its head, who operate professionally and without compromise, day and night, to ensure the rule of law in the state."
Following the report, sources in the Israel Police on Monday sought to clarify if the document existed. Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan also attempted to clarify details on the document, but he did not manage to get answers from the police.
Channel 10 reported, "The document collected all the information that the police knew from every possible source regarding all 120 members of Knesset and the ministers of the previous Knesset. According to this document, the police have information on the alleged crimes of dozens of MKs, including cases of corruption."
According to the report, "The document includes the names of alleged witnesses, but this information did not turn into a serious investigation."
It has also been alleged that the police have not denied the existence of the document and claimed that its policy regarding revealing crimes committed by politicians has not changed.
Avichai Mandelblit addressed allegations that the Israel Police had collected and concealed information on criminal acts by elected officials; he detailed the procedure that would require the state attorney and his signoff for investigations into politicians' alleged criminal activities.
Gil Limon, the Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's senior advisor, sent a letter penned by Mandelblit on Monday in which he addressed the recent report on Israel's Channel 10 that claimed that the police's Investigations and Intelligence Department had collected material raising suspicions of elected officials' criminal activities.
"The Israel Police does not collect information on ministers or members of Knesset," the attorney general wrote. "As is customary, significant information that comes to the Israel Police that raises suspicion of alleged criminal activity by a minister or a member of parliament is transferred immediately to the state attorney and the attorney general. Further handling (of such cases) requires their preliminary approval.
"The document that was the subject of the (Channel 10) report was prepared by the Israel Police two years ago. The document was prepared for review purposes to make sure that no such significant information was held by intelligence services or Israel Police that had not come to the attention of the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Department in the Israel Police and been transferred by him to the state attorney and the attorney general.
"It goes without saying that part of the information in the document led to and served as the basis for criminal investigations, some of which are well-known. The allegation that the document was prepared for any purpose other than the professional-operation purpose described above is baseless. The attorney general backs the work of the Investigations and Intelligence Department and its head, who operate professionally and without compromise, day and night, to ensure the rule of law in the state."
Following the report, sources in the Israel Police on Monday sought to clarify if the document existed. Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan also attempted to clarify details on the document, but he did not manage to get answers from the police.
Channel 10 reported, "The document collected all the information that the police knew from every possible source regarding all 120 members of Knesset and the ministers of the previous Knesset. According to this document, the police have information on the alleged crimes of dozens of MKs, including cases of corruption."
According to the report, "The document includes the names of alleged witnesses, but this information did not turn into a serious investigation."
It has also been alleged that the police have not denied the existence of the document and claimed that its policy regarding revealing crimes committed by politicians has not changed.
Knesset Ethics committee found that 3 MKs exceeded the quota of permissable absences from Knesset plenums; Lapid: 'I did it to stop delegitimization of Israel in the world.'
The Knesset Ethics Committee (KEC) will impose a 6,000 shekel fine on Yesh Atid chairman, Yair Lapid for his absence from a number of Knesset sessions deemed unjustified.
The fine, which constitutes four days of Lapid’s total monthly salary, was decided in light of a report published on Monday night which addressed the matter of absenteeism among MKs from Knesset winter sessions.
It found that that 117 MKs, ministers and deputy ministers met the minimum attendance rate required. However, three were found to have exceeded the number of permitted absences, prompting the committee to examine their justifications.
During the winter session, the committee said, the Knesset convened 75 times. Therefore, according to the rules, an MK is required to explain his or her reasons is absent 25 times or more. Similarly, a deputy minister must do so if absent 30 times while a minister must do so if absent 38 times.
The inquiry found that MK Lapid was absent from 32 sessions, 8 above the permitted quota. In an effort to defend his actions, Lapid claimed before the committee that he views Israel’s status in the international arena as a top priority, particularly in light of the BDS movement. “In accordance with this, I was requested to appear in many international forums and to represent Israel in the struggle against the delegitimization of Israel in the world,” he stated, pointing out that he met with many European foreign ministers and delivered speeches against the UN Human Rights Council and therefore took absence from the plenum.
The Ethics Committee determined that the established quota of lawful absences was intended to enable MKs to take part in tours, to give lectures and to engage in different activities in Israel and around the world and that absences which exceeded the permitted quota was beyond reasonable justification. “First and foremost, an MK is obliged to carry out his parliamentary duties, at least during the days of plenary sessions within the assigned quota,” the report read.
In light of its conclusions, the committee decided that the reasons provided by Lapid were deemed unreasonable. “Despite the significant deviation, the Ethics Committee is inclined to see this fact as a first time,” the report read. “Therefore, in accordance with the law of immunity, it has been decided that MK Lapid will have four days only of his salary revoked.”
Another MK who came under the KECs scrutiny was Taleb Abu Arar (Arab Joint List) who was absent from 26 sessions - two above the quota. He justified his absentia on grounds of dental treatment. Furthermore, he claimed that in some instances his entry was not registered and posited that the record was inaccurate. Abu Arar said that he endeavors to participate in every session and perform his duties. The KEC decided to issue a warning only since this was the first time Abu Arar has failed to fulfil his required quota.
MK Mickey Rosenfeld (Zionist Union), who also failed to attend two sessions beyond the quota, cited health reasons for his absence and even produced medical documentation to prove it. The KEC accepted Rosenfeld’s reasons.
The Knesset Ethics Committee (KEC) will impose a 6,000 shekel fine on Yesh Atid chairman, Yair Lapid for his absence from a number of Knesset sessions deemed unjustified.
The fine, which constitutes four days of Lapid’s total monthly salary, was decided in light of a report published on Monday night which addressed the matter of absenteeism among MKs from Knesset winter sessions.
It found that that 117 MKs, ministers and deputy ministers met the minimum attendance rate required. However, three were found to have exceeded the number of permitted absences, prompting the committee to examine their justifications.
During the winter session, the committee said, the Knesset convened 75 times. Therefore, according to the rules, an MK is required to explain his or her reasons is absent 25 times or more. Similarly, a deputy minister must do so if absent 30 times while a minister must do so if absent 38 times.
The inquiry found that MK Lapid was absent from 32 sessions, 8 above the permitted quota. In an effort to defend his actions, Lapid claimed before the committee that he views Israel’s status in the international arena as a top priority, particularly in light of the BDS movement. “In accordance with this, I was requested to appear in many international forums and to represent Israel in the struggle against the delegitimization of Israel in the world,” he stated, pointing out that he met with many European foreign ministers and delivered speeches against the UN Human Rights Council and therefore took absence from the plenum.
The Ethics Committee determined that the established quota of lawful absences was intended to enable MKs to take part in tours, to give lectures and to engage in different activities in Israel and around the world and that absences which exceeded the permitted quota was beyond reasonable justification. “First and foremost, an MK is obliged to carry out his parliamentary duties, at least during the days of plenary sessions within the assigned quota,” the report read.
In light of its conclusions, the committee decided that the reasons provided by Lapid were deemed unreasonable. “Despite the significant deviation, the Ethics Committee is inclined to see this fact as a first time,” the report read. “Therefore, in accordance with the law of immunity, it has been decided that MK Lapid will have four days only of his salary revoked.”
Another MK who came under the KECs scrutiny was Taleb Abu Arar (Arab Joint List) who was absent from 26 sessions - two above the quota. He justified his absentia on grounds of dental treatment. Furthermore, he claimed that in some instances his entry was not registered and posited that the record was inaccurate. Abu Arar said that he endeavors to participate in every session and perform his duties. The KEC decided to issue a warning only since this was the first time Abu Arar has failed to fulfil his required quota.
MK Mickey Rosenfeld (Zionist Union), who also failed to attend two sessions beyond the quota, cited health reasons for his absence and even produced medical documentation to prove it. The KEC accepted Rosenfeld’s reasons.
18 june 2016
A committee of the Israeli Knesset is discussing the extension, for another year, of a 13-year old law that has been extended each year as a ‘temporary’ measure. The law prohibits nearly 10,000 Palestinian residents of Israel, including 247 children, from having a legal residency status.
The Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order) passed in 2003, and renewed every year since, prevents Palestinian families from living together if one spouse is from present-day Israel and the other is from the West Bank.
Numerous human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have declared the law discriminatory.
Despite challenges from Israeli human rights groups, including a legal challenge that made it to the Israeli High Court in 2006, the Court decided to allow the law to continue to be enforced, stripping thousands of Palestinians of legal residency in their homes.
According to a report by B’Tselem earlier this year, the Israeli laws dividing families date back to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. In 1993, a law was passed confirming this discrimination and separation. Families affected by this law, unable to obtain residency permits, “were compelled to settle for short, broken visits and repeatedly face separation between visits.
These visits depended on the Israeli authorities’ granting a visitor’s permit, which was generally given during the summer for a period of up to three months. When the permit expired, the visitor was required to leave the Occupied Territories. Children who entered with their visiting parent were required to leave with them. Once the visitor left, he or she had to wait at least three months before being allowed to visit again. In many instances, the authorities did not approve a new visitor’s permit even after the waiting period had passed.
The “center of life” criterion was also applied in determining whether to grant permits to visit in the Occupied Territories: residents living outside the Occupied Territories with a non-resident spouse were denied visitor’s permits for their spouse, the officials alleging that “they had transferred their center of life” to another location and that they do not live in the Occupied Territories.”
An Israeli attorney who represents some of the families affected by this law, Adi Lustigman, was quoted in the Israeli daily Ha’aretz as saying, “It means that in the same family if there’s a child who doesn’t feel well they take him to the health clinic, but if his sibling doesn’t feel well they can’t take him because they fear having to pay thousands of shekels if he needs to be hospitalized”.
The children who are living without legal status face many other problems, including inability to get an education, harassment by police and military at checkpoints, temporary and longer-term separation from parents, and the continuous stress of living without knowing if their residency will be revoked at any time.
The Knesset committee considering the extension of the resolution made the claim that ’18 Palestinians who carried out attacks against Israelis over the last 15 years had temporary residency permits’, but that claim has been disputed, and legal experts in Israel say there is no actual data to confirm it.
In the case challenging the law in 2006, Human Rights Watch said that the government failed to explain why other more targeted security measures, applied on a case-by-case basis, could not adequately address this threat without stripping thousands of families of their rights on the basis of their nationality.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Aharon Barak, in his opinion for the minority, wrote that “the law is a violation of the right of Arab citizens in Israel to equality.”
The Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order) passed in 2003, and renewed every year since, prevents Palestinian families from living together if one spouse is from present-day Israel and the other is from the West Bank.
Numerous human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have declared the law discriminatory.
Despite challenges from Israeli human rights groups, including a legal challenge that made it to the Israeli High Court in 2006, the Court decided to allow the law to continue to be enforced, stripping thousands of Palestinians of legal residency in their homes.
According to a report by B’Tselem earlier this year, the Israeli laws dividing families date back to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. In 1993, a law was passed confirming this discrimination and separation. Families affected by this law, unable to obtain residency permits, “were compelled to settle for short, broken visits and repeatedly face separation between visits.
These visits depended on the Israeli authorities’ granting a visitor’s permit, which was generally given during the summer for a period of up to three months. When the permit expired, the visitor was required to leave the Occupied Territories. Children who entered with their visiting parent were required to leave with them. Once the visitor left, he or she had to wait at least three months before being allowed to visit again. In many instances, the authorities did not approve a new visitor’s permit even after the waiting period had passed.
The “center of life” criterion was also applied in determining whether to grant permits to visit in the Occupied Territories: residents living outside the Occupied Territories with a non-resident spouse were denied visitor’s permits for their spouse, the officials alleging that “they had transferred their center of life” to another location and that they do not live in the Occupied Territories.”
An Israeli attorney who represents some of the families affected by this law, Adi Lustigman, was quoted in the Israeli daily Ha’aretz as saying, “It means that in the same family if there’s a child who doesn’t feel well they take him to the health clinic, but if his sibling doesn’t feel well they can’t take him because they fear having to pay thousands of shekels if he needs to be hospitalized”.
The children who are living without legal status face many other problems, including inability to get an education, harassment by police and military at checkpoints, temporary and longer-term separation from parents, and the continuous stress of living without knowing if their residency will be revoked at any time.
The Knesset committee considering the extension of the resolution made the claim that ’18 Palestinians who carried out attacks against Israelis over the last 15 years had temporary residency permits’, but that claim has been disputed, and legal experts in Israel say there is no actual data to confirm it.
In the case challenging the law in 2006, Human Rights Watch said that the government failed to explain why other more targeted security measures, applied on a case-by-case basis, could not adequately address this threat without stripping thousands of families of their rights on the basis of their nationality.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Aharon Barak, in his opinion for the minority, wrote that “the law is a violation of the right of Arab citizens in Israel to equality.”
