العربية
HE
العربية
HE
Arab a-Ramadin al-Janubi is a small Palestinian community living on their privately owned land near the city of Qalqilya. When the separation barrier was built, the community found itself trapped between the barrier and the Green Line, becoming part of what Israel refers to as the "Seam Zone." The military is now seeking to expel an extended family that has lived in the community for decades by revoking the "Permanent Resident" permits of 12 family members, following the family’s temporary move due to war-time limitations.
The story of this family (Family A.) is not an isolated case. It reflects a long-standing policy aimed at weakening Palestinian presence in the “Seam Zone” and gradually pushing Palestinian communities beyond the separation barrier.
Permanent Residents in the “Seam Zone”
Contrary to the common perception in Israel that the separation barrier marks the country's border, 85% of its current route was built inside the occupied West Bank rather than along the Green Line. As a result, a Palestinian enclave was created on the barrier's "Israeli" side, between the barrier and the Green Line. This area, which Israel designates as the "Seam Zone" and which covers approximately 9.4% of the West Bank, is a closed military zone. Palestinians may enter it only with a military-issued permit.
When the barrier was constructed, thousands of Palestinians living in the “Seam Zone” suddenly found themselves subject to a restrictive permit regime, under which they were required to obtain renewable "Permanent Resident" permits to continue living in their own homes. These permits are issued for periods of up to two years, and their renewal is contingent upon a strict "center of life" examination, including home visits and scrutiny of residents' patterns of presence in the “Seam Zone”, including where they spend the night.
In practice, however, many permanent residents depend on areas beyond the barrier for employment, education, healthcare, welfare services, and other essential public services, just as they did before the barrier was built. Many also maintain close family ties with relatives living beyond the separation barrier. Because they are prohibited from entering Israel, denying them access to areas beyond the barrier effectively “traps” them within the small area in which they reside.
The increasingly severe movement restrictions imposed by Israel, particularly since the outbreak of the war, have forced some residents to spend nights or reside temporarily outside the “Seam Zone” to reach their workplaces, send their children to school, or receive medical treatment. In some cases, these temporary living arrangements have been sufficient grounds for revoking their residence permits.
Thus, despite the state's commitment to preserve the fabric of life of “Seam Zone” residents, movement restrictions that force permanent residents to spend nights outside the area are now being used as grounds for stripping them of their right to continue living in their homes.
The Story of Family A.
At the beginning of the war, the military closed the gate in the separation barrier through which the family had routinely passed, the Jayyus checkpoint, and redirected them to the much more distant Tzofim checkpoint. Whereas before the restrictions, it took only fifteen minutes to reach the nearby town of Jayyus, after the restrictions the journey took approximately an hour, most of it on foot. For the family, particularly the children and elderly, this became a difficult and exhausting journey that they had to undertake daily to meet their most basic needs.
As a result of these restrictions, some family members, primarily women and children, temporarily moved to relatives' homes or rented apartments beyond the barrier, while continuing to maintain their home in the “Seam Zone” with the expectation of returning once the restrictions were lifted. At the same time, some of the men remained behind and cultivated the family's agricultural land, forcing the family to live apart.
The military, however, argues that the mere fact that most family members did not reside in the “Seam Zone” for approximately two years is sufficient to conclude that they permanently left the area and therefore no longer qualify for "Permanent Resident" permits. The brief revocation notice issued by the Civil Administration made no reference to the fact that it was the military's own movement restrictions that had compelled the family to leave temporarily, nor did it acknowledge that throughout this period the family maintained its ties to its home.
HaMoked's Petition
On February 9, 2026, HaMoked filed an administrative appeal against the Civil Administration's decision to revoke the family's Permanent Resident permits. The appeal remained unanswered for four months. During this period, the only response HaMoked received was a brief letter from the Civil Administration's Public Inquiries Officer reiterating the claim that the family members were no longer entitled to the permits because they no longer resided in the “Seam Zone”.
Consequently, on May 3, 2026, HaMoked petitioned the Jerusalem District Court, requesting that it order the state to reinstate the family's permits and allow them to return to their home in the “Seam Zone”. The petition argued that the decision severely infringes not only upon the family's rights to freedom of movement, property, and family life, but also upon their collective right to preserve their way of life and continue cultivating their land. HaMoked also relied on the judgment of the High Court of Justice (HCJ) in HCJ 6896/18, Ta’meh et al. vs. Military Commander in the West Bank et al., in which the Court recognized the cultural and familial importance of jointly cultivating agricultural land and living together in the “Seam Zone”.
During the proceedings, the Court instructed the state to reach a decision in the original appeal by June 21, 2026, and, with the parties' consent, the petition was subsequently withdrawn. On June 10, 2026, the appeal was rejected. The decision simply repeated the claim that the family no longer resides in the “Seam Zone”, without addressing any of the arguments raised by HaMoked. HaMoked intends to file a new petition challenging this decision soon.
All the while, Family A. continues to face a daily reality of separation, cut off from their land and the traditional way of life they have maintained for generations. This stands in sharp contrast to the HCJ’s judgment on the subject of the permit regime (HCJ 9961/03, 639/04), in which the Court held that the state must preserve, to the greatest extent possible and subject to security needs, the fabric of life of “Seam Zone” residents. This commitment, upon which the legality of the permit regime itself rests, has been steadily eroded since October 7, 2023. The attempted expulsion of a family that has lived in the “Seam Zone” for decades represents a particularly stark manifestation of this broader trend.
