In November 2014, a Palestinian man who is a PhD student in a university in Ireland came to the West Bank to visit his family. On January 25, 2015, when the man sought to leave for Jordan en route to Ireland via Allenby Bridge border crossing – the only gateway abroad available to West Bank residents – his exit was denied by the Israeli authorities. When he asked to file an objection against the ban, officials at the crossing informed him – contrary to the regulations – that he could not do so there and referred him to the Nablus District Coordination Office (DCO) for further inquiries. The sudden exit ban caused the man to miss his flight to Ireland.
When he arrived at the Nablus DCO, he was informed by one of the soldiers that here was no security preclusion against his exit. The soldier, grossly overstepping his authority, went on to propose that the man change his registered address in official records from the West Bank to Ireland. The man was given this
recommendation in writing upon his request. This seems to suggest that this was not an isolated whim of a single soldier, and that the Israeli military does not conceal the fact that it "encourages" Palestinians to change their registered address to a foreign location.
In the following months, the man tried to leave for Jordan via Allenby Crossing twice more, but to no avail. In one of the two attempts, the man was arrested and interrogated by the Israel Security Agency (ISA) and his personal belongings were confiscated. Finally, on March 25, 2015, he was told orally at the Nablus DCO that he was in fact banned from foreign travel. He was advised – again, contrary to military regulations – to file an objection to the ban at the Palestinian Liaison Offices.
On April 1, 2015,
HaMoked wrote to the military to demand the swift handling of the man's objection, and to protest the outrageous and negligent handling of his case.
