Residency Rights

Submitted by Fred Schlomka (Israel), Apr 24, 2006 at 05:17

Let's keep in mind that the officials in question are from long established Jerusalem families who were living there when Israel conquered the Eastern part of the city in 1967. Their residency status is a right, not a privilege to be revoked at the whim of the Israeli government. Why were they not arrested? The Hamas parliamentarians were not accused of any specific crime, but of being members of a terror organization.

Regardless of the Hamas position on the recent atrocity in Tel Aviv, The Israeli Government does not have the right under international law to expel anyone from Occupied Terrirory. East Jerusalem remains occupied, and despite Israel's 'annexation' is not recognized as part of the state by the vast majority of the world, including the USA. Almost all the Palestinian Arab residents of East Jerusalem have consistently refused Israel's offer of citizenship since they reject the annexation and want their side of the city to become part of a Palestinian state.

The statement "Jerusalem's Arabs enjoy the unique ability to travel freely to all areas of the greater Land of Israel." quoted from Arutz Sheva, reflects the ambiguity of the status of East Jerusalem and its residents. Jews in East Jerusalem are citizens of Israel with full rights while their Palestinian neighbors are there by suffferance despite their prior status before the 1967 war.

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