[News] International Community Must Take Concrete Measures to Halt Israel’s New Procedure for Entry and Residence of Foreigners in the West Bank

[Anti-Imperialist News]

PHROC: International Community Must Take Concrete Measures to Halt 
Israel’s New Procedure for Entry and Residence of Foreigners in the West 
Bank
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*PHROC: International Community Must Take Prompt and Concrete Measures 
to Halt Israel’s New Procedure for Entry and Residence of Foreigners in 
the West Bank*

14 September 2022
The Israeli occupying authorities have imposed further restrictions on 
the entry of foreign nationals and Palestinians who hold foreign 
passports and wish to work, volunteer, join their Palestinian family 
members or act in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the occupied 
Palestinian territory (oPt). The constraints of the new procedure, which 
was published on 4 September 2022 and will enter into force on 20 
October 2022, also apply to foreign nationals whose work requires that 
they stay for any length of time in the West Bank (excluding occupied 
Jerusalem).
These Israeli measures are in breach of international humanitarian law 
and Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Entry restrictions encroach 
on Palestinians’ freedom of movement, receiving humanitarian and 
development assistance, and hosting medical practitioners and other 
experts. Furthermore, these measures impinge on the sovereign rights of 
the Palestinian people, including the right to host experts, artists, 
athletes, students, tourists, and volunteers.
Composed of 90 pages, the new Israeli directives oblige those wishing to 
enter the West Bank (excluding occupied Jerusalem) only to do so 
exclusively through King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge. For those seeking to 
work, volunteer, or study in the oPt, regardless of their nationalities, 
visitors must apply for an entry visa 45, 60, or even up to 153 days 
before arrival as well as provide an extensive questionnaire on their 
CV, and any familial or spousal connections in the West Bank. 
Furthermore, the Israeli occupying authorities reserve themselves the 
right to unilaterally determine the expertise that the oPt needs
The Israeli decision also involves clear discrimination, obliging 
foreign nationals to declare any family relations they may have in the 
oPt, often used to detect and deny entry to foreign national 
Palestinians. Foreign nationals must also disclose intrinsically private 
matters, such as reporting any emotional relationships with Palestinians 
(This scandalous condition was removed later under international 
pressure. However, the newly-adjusted procedures still provide that any 
visa renewal of someone on a work visa or other special purpose visa 
must be accompanied by information about being in a couple with a 
Palestinian registered in the population registry in the West Bank if 
that is the case.) This throws further suspicion on the purposes of this 
measure. It has to do with the racial engineering of the oPt population 
within the framework of its apartheid regime, which constitutes a crime 
against humanity. To ensure that these conditions are not breached, the 
new Israeli directives reserve the right to impose exorbitant prepaid 
sureties of up to US$ 20,000 on Palestinians with foreign nationalities. 
The Israeli directives are also applicable to staff members of and 
volunteers with United Nations agencies and international organizations, 
mostly European, which provide humanitarian and development assistance. 
Thus, the Israeli occupying authorities seek to prevent the flow of 
needed humanitarian and development aid to cope with the dire living 
conditions created by Israel’s discriminatory actions and failure to 
comply with its obligation as the occupying Power.
Critically, the Israeli decision coincides with unprecedented escalation 
throughout the oPt, including forced population displacement and 
transfer on both sides of the Green Line. Israel targets Palestinian 
infrastructure, including donor-funded projects. Destruction is not 
limited to land levelling, home demolitions, and uprooting of trees, as 
it also extends to undermine Palestinian society’s capabilities, 
resilience, survival, and civil society organizations. Moreover, Israeli 
restrictions have not spared the Palestinian private sector 
corporations, which do need foreign experts.
We call on members of the international community, particularly European 
Union Member States, to take meaningful and effective measures to halt 
these increasing restrictions, require reciprocal treatment, and rise 
before statements and denouncements. We further call on the Permanent 
United Nations Fact Finding Mission, established by the United Nations 
Human Rights Council in May 2021, to investigate this measure as a grave 
violation that falls within the category of racial discrimination.

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