In view of the fast-expanding coronavirus crisis,
HaMoked wrote to the Minister of Interior on 17.3.2020 to demand the immediate publication of an urgent notice whereby the stay permits of Palestinians living in Israel lawfully pursuant to family unification and humanitarian procedures would be automatically extended to the end of June 2020. This, following the publication of a similar notice the Ministry of Interior published a day earlier concerning the extension of various visas of foreign nationals which expired as of March 12, 2020. For some inexplicable reason, the Ministry’s notice did not mention the population of residents of the oPt living in Israel lawfully and did not announce the automatic extension of their permits.
In its letter, HaMoked noted that at this difficult time, it is clearly imperative for the public’s safety, health and security that such a notice be published. This, HaMoked clarified, “in order not to harm the basic rights of many Israeli families and in order prevent dangerous situations where a person cannot move about reasonably within their legal place of residence, and to care for the welfare and health of their family members, and also to prevent a situation where they could be mistakenly removed to locations where they might be exposed to the virus”.
HaMoked also sent the military a letter demanding the publication of a notice whereby no Palestinians living in Israel lawfully in the framework of the above mentioned procedures would not be removed from their home even if they do not hold a valid stay permit, provided their last permit expired on March 12,2020 or later.
