Israel modifies new restrictions on foreigners in West Bank
After a widespread backlash against the rules, which initially required foreigners to notify Israeli authorities within 30 days of beginning a relationship with a Palestinian resident. Israel has delayed the implementation of a set of recently revised restrictions (PDF) for foreigners entering the occupied West Bank.
In a new document published on Sunday, COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, amended some of the restrictions that were set to go into effect on Monday, including the removal of the 30-day rule, but many other rules remain.
The original text also stated that foreign spouses of Palestinians would be granted three or six-month permits at first, with most being required to leave the West Bank for six months before obtaining a new permit. The rules would also have required foreigners married to Palestinians to leave for a half-year “cooling off” period after 27 months of marriage. The requirement to stay outside the West Bank for six months is not included in the most recent draught. However, many of the changes in the 90-page document appeared to be cosmetic, and none of the rules apply to visitors to Israel or the more than 130 illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Israel had recently come under fire for the document, which was initially released quietly in February.
On Sunday, US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides expressed “concerns” about the new rules, citing “particularly COGAT’s role in determining whether individuals invited by Palestinian academic institutions are qualified to enter the West Bank, and the potential negative impact on family unity.”
COGAT has not made any comments on the document.
The updated document still includes rules governing the entry of foreign academics and students into the occupied West Bank, though restrictions on the number of foreign students and teachers have been lifted. The new rules, according to HaMoked, a Jerusalem-based human rights organisation, will “prevent thousands of families from living together for blatantly political reasons”.
Israel modifies new restrictions on foreigners in West Bank
“The Israeli military’s procedure for allowing foreigners into the West Bank violates Israel’s international legal obligations, and HaMoked will continue its legal challenge,” the group said in a tweet.
