Israel/Occupied Territories: Whether the Palestinian National Authority is authorized to issue identity cards to Palestinians whose cards have been revoked by the Israeli authorities
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ISR30711.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Israel/Occupied Territories: Whether the Palestinian National Authority is authorized to issue identity cards to Palestinians whose cards have been revoked by the Israeli authorities, 1 December 1998, ISR30711.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab0843.html [accessed 11 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Three sources stated that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) does not have any legal jurisdiction over identity cards in East Jerusalem. The sources added that although done in consultation with the Israeli authorities, the PNA provides identification to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, including Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem forced to leave East Jerusalem after having their identity card revoked by the Israeli Ministry of the Interior. The issuance or not of a West Bank/Gaza identity card by the PNA does not affect the ability of Palestinians residents of East Jerusalem who had their Israeli identity card revoked to reside in the Occupied Territories
The sources are: the Director of Badil: Resource Center for Palestinian Residency & Refugee Rights (9 Dec. 1998); the Development Director of B'Tselem, an Israeli organization which monitors and documents human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (8 Dec. 1998); and, a researcher on Jerusalem with The Law, a Palestinian Human Rights organization based in Jerusalem. The Law is a group of Palestinian lawyers to promote human rights and further the principles of the rule of law and defends Palestinians (8 Dec. 1998).
The Director of Badil added that the Israeli authorities have not refused any applications for a "West Bank/Gaza identification" by Palestinians from East Jerusalem who have their identity cards revoked. The PNA does provide Palestinians with a document that can be used in the West Bank or Gaza as identification upon request.
The researcher at The Law stated that a fee of 200 Shekels (around US$50.00) is required to obtain the card. The applicants must provide a valid identity document such as birth certificate, an old Israeli identity card, a Jordanian passport or a Palestinian passport.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Badil: Resource Center for Palestinian Residency & Refugee Rights, Bethleem, West Bank. 9 December 1998. Telephone interview with the Director. Badil is a Palestinian non-profit non-governmental Organization which aims at providing critical and progressive information and analysis on the question of Palestinian residency rights and refugees.
B'Tselem, Jerusalem, Israel. 8 December 1998. Telephone interview with the Development Director. The organization was founded in 1989 and has published over 65 reports on a wide variety of human rights issues, and engaged in various advocacy campaigns.
The Law, Jerusalem, Israel. 8 December 1998. Telephone interview with the researcher on Jerusalem. The Law seeks to protect human rights through an intensive program of documenting and following up abuses; and through providing legal and financial help to people in need.
