| Background to the problem: Who is a resident? Residence policies, embedded in a network of military regulations; many of which are unpublished, and some of which constantly change, are a complicated and often tedious business. Nevertheless, their effect has been to transform the conditions of people’s lives so as to make them almost unbearable.
The formative event in Israeli residence policies was the September 1967 census of residents in the Occupied Territories, conducted under curfew and with borders sealed to prevent anyone from returning. Unlike most censuses, which simply count the number of people according to categories, for purposes of providing information and services, this census served as a basis for deciding who had the right to live in the territories. Anyone not physically present for whatever reason, did not receive residence; i.e., was not eligible to receive an Israeli ID card. Neither do Palestinians who did obtain residence in 1967 enjoy security. Residence, according to Israeli military law, is not comparable with citizenship. They do have the right to live in the Occupied Territories, to work and to own property. These rights, however, can be withdrawn at any time, for reasons which range from bureaucratic technicalities to the assumed intention of living elsewhere (taking on a foreign passport, for example). If these rights are withdrawn, their property, especially land, may go to the Custodian of Absentee Property. |
