| Implications of the Israeli-Jordanian
Peace on Palestinian Residency Rights: Many Questions, Few Answers
Israeli-Jordanian Borders
Remain Closed for the People of the Region
Who are the Jordanians that
will be issued Israeli tourist visas? “Every Jordanian citizen,” was the
Israeli delegation’s answer to an inquiry by its Palestinian counterpart.
This answer seemed too good to be true, because opening the borders for
Jordanian citizens would require the abolition of the restrictive system
of visit permits to Israel for Palestinian visitors in Israel and the occupied
territories. In fact, an investigation into the “new regulations” revealed
old news. The Israeli Interior Ministry was unwilling to provide information,
the new Israeli embassy in Amman was more cooperative: Since the embassy
in Amman does not (yet) have a visa department, Jordanian citizens cannot
apply for Israeli visas by themselves. As in the past, one of their close
relatives in Israel or in the 1967 occupied territories must apply at the
Interior Ministry/Civil Administration for a visit permit on their behalf.
Jordanian citizens who do not have close relatives in Israel/Palestine
simply cannot come to visit. In the meantime, Palestinian residents of
the occupied territories continue to be refused visit permits for close
relatives even in emergency cases. Israeli fears of being flooded by thousands
of Palestinian “tourist-refugees” seem to compel the authorities to maintain
the old system of selection of Jordanians allowed entry.
Jordanian visas for Israelis,
on the other hand, are also limited. The official explanation is the limited
number of Jordanian hotels able to host Israeli tourist groups. However,
it appears that behind this official explanation stands the strong Jordanian
public pressure for the boycott of relations with Israel.
Israel Denies Dual Citizenship
for Palestinian Residents of East Jerusalem
Based on the current Israeli
policy of encouraging Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem to take Israeli
citizenship, the Palestinian community was stirred by an announcement of
the Israeli Interior Ministry that “following the Israeli-Jordanian peace
agreement, Israel will treat residency matters concerning Jordanian citizens
just like those concerning any other foreign citizen.” This statement was
interpreted by both the Israeli and Palestinian press as another Israeli
attempt to make Israeli citizenship more attractive to Palestinian Jerusalemites:
from now on they will no longer have to renounce their Jordanian citizenship
in exchange for an Israeli passport. The interpretation was based on the
experience with thousands of Israelis, immigrants and native-born, who
are allowed to hold two passports. Even the Mufti of Jerusalem felt compelled
to threaten the Friday worshipers with heavenly and social retribution
if they accept the new Israeli offer.
However, the uproar was
pre-mature. Selectivity has always been Israel’s guiding principle when
it comes to granting citizenship to non-Jews, and this will remain in effect
even in the “new era of peace”. The Interior Ministry hurried to clarify
its earlier statement: “Citizenship for non-Jewish foreigners is regulated
by the Law of Entry to Israel, and this law does not permit dual citizenship.
Jewish persons, citizens of any country in the world, become Israeli citizens
according to the Law of Return, which does permit dual citizenship” (Kol
Ha’ir, 25/11/94).
Will Confiscated Palestinian
Property be Returned Following the Israeli-Jordanian Peace Agreement?
The Law Concerning Absentee
Property (1948/1967) provides that lands and property belonging to absent
subjects of an enemy country be transferred to Custodian of Absentee Property
who has the right to sell them to state or private parties as he sees fit.
This law remains a major tool for the confiscation of Palestinian property
inside the green line and in East Jerusalem. Many of the original Palestinian
owners hold Jordanian citizenship, and since the Israeli-Jordanian peace
agreement abolishes their status as “subjects of an enemy state” they had
hoped for the re-instatement of their property rights. According to the
Israeli State Attorney this will not be the case, since amendments of the
Law Concerning Absentee Property require new legislation. Moreover, Israel
and Jordan would have to ratify a special agreement concerning bilateral
compensation in which Israel would also raise its claims concerning Jewish
property in Jordan (Inquiry by Land & Water on the State Attorney’s
office). |