On March 28, 2010, HaMoked applied to the Ministry of Interior under the Freedom of Information Act for figures on status revocation in East Jerusalem in 2009. The application was made as part of HaMoked’s battle against Israel’s “quiet deportation” of East Jerusalem residents.
In February 2011, when the application remained unanswered,
HaMoked petitioned the court under the Freedom of Information Act, and in November 2011, the response of the ministry was finally received.
According to the
figures provided by the Ministry of Interior, in 2009, Israel revoked the residency of 720 Palestinians from East Jerusalem, including 392 women. The ministry also stated that in that year, it reinstated the status of 55 Palestinians from East Jerusalem.
As recalled, in April 2011,
HaMoked and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, petitioned the HCJ, demanding the cessation of the policy under which the state revoked the residency status of East Jerusalem residents who had lived outside of Israel for some time or acquired residency status in a foreign country. The organizations argued that the status of East Jerusalem residents was unlike the status of other residents – Jerusalem was annexed by Israel and its residents were forced to accept permanent residency in the country, which made their status irrevocable. The organizations added that, according to international law, East Jerusalem is a territory held under belligerent occupation, and as such its residents are protected persons who come under the protections afforded by international humanitarian law.
HaMoked insists on its demand that when it comes to East Jerusalem residents, for whom this piece of land is home, residency status in Israel does not expire even when they live abroad for some time or acquire status elsewhere.
