26.12.2005|Other|Principal Correspondence

Families Divided between the West Bank and Gaza - A Chronicle of Forced Separations

HaMoked's appeal to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, in which it cautions against recurring cases of prolonged, forced separations which tear families apart between Gaza and the West Bank. The letter outlines the stories of families who only received travel permits following HaMoked's appeals, and describes the suffering of families who, even after HaMoked's intervention, remain divided and still await the State's answer. HaMoked stresses that a situation in which a person is separated from his family for no fault of his own is unlawful, and adds that for the purpose of travel permits, the question of registered address is irrelevant, as members of the same people reside in Gaza and the West Bank, despite the territorial discontinuity. HaMoked demands to simplify the proceedings, and prevent the unnecessary division of families between Gaza and the West Bank.