Following a petition filed by HaMoked, a Palestinian minor who lives in Jordan with his parents received a visitor’s permit into the West Bank and was entered in the population registry there: The West Bank Military Commander impedes the issuance of visitor’s permits for Palestinian minors living abroad in an attempt to block them from returning to live in the Occupied Territories when they so desire

The Petitioner was born to a Palestinian family. His father is registered in the Palestinian population registry in the West Bank and his mother is a Jordanian subject. The family resides in Jordan. About a year before the Petitioner’s 16^th birthday, his father submitted an application for a visitor’s permit for his son in order to have him entered in the population registry in the West Bank. The Israeli authorities returned the application to the Palestinian side without an answer and without explaining why it was being returned. Following a letter sent by HaMoked, the Military Legal Advisor to the West Bank replied that no such application had ever been received from the Petitioner and that he must resubmit it. The Petitioner did so and requested that the matter would be seen to quickly as he would soon turn 16. When this application also went unanswered, HaMoked filed a petition with the HCJ. 

Since 1996, the Palestinian Authority has been exclusively authorized to register children under the age of 16. The authorities for the registration of children are stipulated in Minshar Zeva’i [military proclamation] (No. 7) which incorporated the provisions of the 1995 Interim Agreement. Despite this, Israel has decided that it would not acknowledge the registration of minors if they were not present in the West Bank. Since October 2000, Israel has stopped issuing visitor’s permits to the West Bank, a policy which has been limited after a number of HCJ petitions were filed. 

In the petition HaMoked described the vicious circle: On one hand, due to the Israeli demand, which is not entrenched in any document, the registration of children under 16 who are abroad is possible only when they are physically present in the West Bank. On the other hand, as long as they are not registered, the military does not allow them to enter the West Bank. 

On 16 May, 2007, following HaMoked’s intervention, the West Bank Military Commander announced that he would process the Petitioner’s application for a visitor’s permit despite his having turned 16. The Military Commander also pledged that the Petitioner’s application to be entered in the population registry would be processed and approved by the Israeli side once a relevant application is submitted by the Palestinian side. The youth submitted his application for a visitor’s permit. It was approved and on 20 July, 2007 he entered the West Bank and was registered as he had requested. 

To view the application to delete petition following the delivery of sought relief from 27 August, 2007 (Hebrew) 

To view the petition from 17 September, 2006 (Hebrew)