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Israel: New West Bank Residency Rules Introduced Out of Concern for Palestinian Human Rights

(Jerusalem Post) Dan Izenberg - Disputing claims of having instituted a new West Bank expulsion policy, Israel launched an information campaign to explain that the new policy had been introduced out of concern for Palestinian human rights. "The purpose of the [amended] orders is to IMPROVE [capital letters in the original] the current situation rather than worsen it," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor wrote. "Pursuant to the recommendations of the High Court, a joint judicial committee of Jewish and Arab judges will deliberate on each case of potential repatriation. The committee will make a decision within eight days of having a case brought before it." Palmor emphasized that anyone issued a "repatriation order" was entitled to legal representation, and "that there is a minuscule number of individuals to whom the orders are pertinent, since in recent years Israel has, as a concession to the Palestinians, allowed non-West Bank residents to register [their residency] with the Civil Administration." Maj. Peter Lerner, IDF Central Command spokesman, said the only change created by the new orders was the establishment of a clear legal procedure that gave the subject of the order the chance to appeal before a tribunal instead of the military commander who issued the order. Lerner said that over the past three years there had been only 30-60 expulsions per year. "There will not be an increase in the volume as a result of the new orders," he added.
2010-04-14 08:21:51
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