In November 1995, an East Jerusalem couple, both permanent residents, had their fourth son, born while the family was staying in Jordan. In January 2000, the mother appealed to the Ministry of Interior to list her son in the population registry. In August that year, the Head of the East Jerusalem Population Administration arrived, affirmed by letter that the child was registered as an "Israeli resident", like his three brothers. The parents soon received new identity cards listing their four children.
In August 2007, the family was about to travel to Jordan. But However, the border-control police at the Allenby Bridge terminal prevented the youngest son from leaving, referring the mother to the interior ministry. Upon the family's request, the interior ministry issued a document permitting the child to travel, and the mother and son traveled to Jordan shortly after.
On December 5, 2007, the family received a notice from the interior ministry, stating that the "application to extend the temporary status" of the child was refused. The family, then without legal representation, did not attach any importance to the letter, as it had not filed for such an extension, and as the child, recall, was listed with his brothers in his parents' identity cards.
During 2010, when he turned 16, the boy applied through his school for his first identity card. The interior ministry refused the application, stating that the mother must apply for family unification with her son. The family then contacted HaMoked. In its inquires with the interior ministry, HaMoked revealed that in 2000 the interior ministry had listed the child as a temporary resident, and as it had not been renewed, his status expired. The interior ministry never notified the family that the child had been registered under temporary status, which expires unless renewed, this, moreover, as his registration in his parents' identity cards indicated no such thing.
On March 7, 2011,
HaMoked requested the interior ministry to grant the child permanent status without delay. HaMoked asserted that his registration under temporary status had been contrary to the interior ministry's policy at the time, and added that by keeping the temporary nature of the child's status in quasi secrecy, without informing the family, the interior ministry had acted improperly as an administrative authority.
After eight and a half months, the interior
ministry delivered a laconic response, that the child – already a youth – would promptly be given permanent residency status and an identity card.
