ei: Committee formed on right of entry to the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Who we are

The Ad-hoc Committee for the Protection of Foreign Passport Holders Residing in and/or Visiting the Occupied Palestinian Territory (CPFPH), launched in June 2006, is a support group of individuals and families affected by the current Israeli occupation authorities' policy that denies entry to foreign passport holders to the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) via the Israeli unilaterally-controlled international border crossings to the oPt.

Problem

Israel has recently intensified its policies regarding restriction of entry or re-entry to the oPt with respect to residents of and visitors to the OPT (Gaza Strip and West Bank) who do not hold a Palestinian ID issued by the Israeli Interior Ministry. A Palestinian ID is a personal identification document issued by Israel for Palestinian residents and their children.

Israel is now systematically denying entry or return to the oPt via the international Israeli borders at Ben Gurion Airport, Allenby Bridge, Sheikh Hussein Bridge, and Eilat. Most of those affected are Palestinian natives, spouses, children, parents and other close relatives of Palestinian ID holders. The policy affects entire families or individual members of families, like the father or the mother of minor children. As a result, families are torn apart, jobs or businesses are lost and personal property becomes inaccessible.

The policy applies to persons with and without Palestinian or Arab origins, with and without familial relations, including professionals and academics who are in the oPt for teaching, research, the arts, visiting or volunteer purposes. Most of these cases, which must be in the thousands, have never overstayed their visitor's visas or breached any visiting regulations. It must be noted that Israel has reserved for itself the exclusive power of civil registration and issuing IDs for Palestinians, visitors' visas and work permits for non-ID holders to the oPt. By these means it is conducting a swift and effective 'silent transfer' of the Palestinian population while the latter is living at the mercy of the Israeli occupation authorities.

In addition to the people already locked out, there are many more still in the oPt at risk of deportation or denial of re-entry once they exit the country's international borders to comply with Israeli visa regulations.

Our objectives are to:

Contact those still in the country and at risk of being denied re-entry, to advise them not to leave the country and to share experience about ways of proactive legal action;

Collect information and document cases of entry and re-entry denial;

Call on the national and international community to protest and take action against this Israeli practice of family separation and denying entry to foreign experts and supporters;

Launch an international legal and political campaign to prevent, stop and reverse these Israeli policies and practices;

Urge consulates and embassies of affected citizens to formally protest, protect and take action against these Israeli practices;

Publicize the issue and disseminate information through national and international media channels.

Contacts:

Manaf Abbas, Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man
Tel. +970-2-2954646/9, Fax +970-2-2954903
Email: info@alhaq.org, Website: www.alhaq.org

Adel Samara, Al-Kan'an
Tel. +970599.358787
Email qurmut2004@yahoo.ca

Dr. Ziadeh Shamieh, Palestinian American Association, Tel. +970-2-2965415

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