UPDATE on Residency Rights

Revocation of Jerusalem ID Cards: According to information released by the Israeli Interior Ministry, 818 Palestinian Jerusalemites had their residency rights restored in 2000 as compared to 183 Palestinians in 1999. In the first three months
of 2001, some 100 Palestinians from Jerusalem regained their residency rights. (Amira Hass, Haaretz, 2 April 2001) While the policy of Jerusalem ID card revocation was altered in October 1999, over the five-year period that the more restrictive policy was in place more than 3,000 Palestinians had their residency rights in Jerusalem revoked by Israeli authorities. Over the course of more than three decades of Israeli occupation, it is estimated that some 6,300 Palestinian Jerusalemites had their residency rights revoked with an additional 30,000 others who lost their residency rights because they were not registered in Israel's first census of eastern
Jerusalem after the 1967 occupation of the city.

(Figures do not include family members) For more information on residency rights see the BADIL website Jordan imposes entry restrictions on Palestinians: In early June, Palestinians in the 1967 occupied territories, suffering from severe Israeli restrictions of movement inside and outside the country were surprised by yet additional measures, this time from Jordan.

Palestinians wishing to cross the Allenby Bridge border to Jordan for family visits, medical treatment, or work-related affairs now require special clearance by the Jordanian authorities prior to departure. Numerous Palestinians who were uninformed about this new policy were consequently turned back at the border, including persons on their way to visit sick relatives or attend family funerals.

Palestinian public outrage at the measure was not assuaged by Jordanian assurances that the measure was temporary and coordinated with the Palestinian Authority, nor did the public accept the argument that the measure served joint Palestinian-Jordanian interests in preventing massive Palestinian forced-migration as a result of pressure from Israel's occupation. On 13 June, Palestinian Minister for Civil Affairs, Jamil Tarifi, confirmed that the Jordanian policy was applied without prior consultation with Palestinian officials and that efforts to resolve the problem were under way.

In the meantime, Jordanian officials confirmed that the new travel restrictions were imposed in order to prevent the Palestinian intifada from spreading to Jordan. The measure thus serves to compliment an earlier ban on official pro-intifada demonstrations in light of King Abdullah's alarm at rising unrest in the country.