The Israeli Ministry of the Interior refused to grant residency to 13,000 Palestinian residents of Jerusalem from 1995 to the present day, according to a report by Haaretz today.
The occupation authorities claimed these Palestinians’ centre of life was no longer Jerusalem, but rather abroad or in the occupied West Bank.
In recent years, human rights organisations have submitted petitions to the Israeli Supreme Court against the Ministry of the Interior on behalf of many Jerusalemites who have been denied residency or stripped of it. In all its decisions, the Supreme Court stated that the Palestinians in Jerusalem are indigenous people with rights and should not be treated as migrants, but despite this, the ministry continues its policy of stripping them of residency permits and expelling them.
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The newspaper considered the deportation of lawyer Salah Hamouri, a Jerusalemite who holds French citizenship, to France yesterday, a warning message from Israel to the Palestinians residing in the city, that if they do not submit to its authority, they will be deprived of permanent residence.
The newspaper noted that the Israeli occupation authorities feel safe enough politically, internationally and on the security level, to use various forms of oppression and deterrence against Palestinians.
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