Israel: Information on whether protection would be available to a Palestinian in Jerusalem whom the Fatah or other Palestinian groups discovered had been granted Israeli citizenship and whom they accused publicly of being a spy for Israel
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ISR28510.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Israel: Information on whether protection would be available to a Palestinian in Jerusalem whom the Fatah or other Palestinian groups discovered had been granted Israeli citizenship and whom they accused publicly of being a spy for Israel, 1 January 1998, ISR28510.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aac84c.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. |
The following information was provided during a 15 January 1998 telephone interview with the Executive Director of the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG) in Jerusalem. The PHRMG is a Palestinian, independent, non-governmental organization working to end human rights violations committed against Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, regardless of those responsible. The members of the Monitoring Group also work to strengthen democracy and civil society for the Palestinian people.
The Executive Director stated that a Palestinian living in East-Jerusalem, who was granted Israeli citizenship and accused publicly of being a spy or a collaborator by Palestinian groups, would have to leave East-Jerusalem where he could be reached by Fatah, or other Palestinian groups. Jerusalem is politically and demographically divided between east, mainly Arabs, and west, mainly inhabited by Jews. The Executive Director added that people spying for collaborating with Israel would receive protection from the government and be safe living in Israel. These people could easily live in Israeli cities such as Nazareth, Haifa, Jaffa, Beersheva, Accra, etc., where the Palestinian Authority, the Fatah and other Palestinian groups would not be able to reach them.
The Executive Director indicated that in recent years over 7,000 East-Jerusalem Palestinians took up Israeli citizenship for civil rights or socio-economic reasons. Under the Oslo Accord the Palestinian Authority is not allowed to arrest Israeli citizens in Jerusalem, including people who spy or collaborate with Israel, and the Israeli government takes this situation seriously. This information is corroborated by a 22 July 1996 report from Agence France Presse (AFP),
Abdel Salam Hirbawi, a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, was arrested Friday in East Jerusalem and taken to the autonomous town of Ramallah where he was jailed for 48 hours. Israel, which bars Palestinian police from operating in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, slammed the arrest as a "kidnapping," sealed off Ramallah and refused to hand out extra work permits to West Bankers. After intense pressure, police handed over Hirbawi on Sunday.
According to a 22 July 1996 report from Naomi Segal and published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency,
Israel had demanded Hirbawi's release, saying that his arrest was in violation of the Israeli-Palestinian autonomy agreements, which forbid the Palestinian Authority to arrest Israeli citizens or to operate inside Jerusalem.
In a 13 July 1995 report on Palestinian collaborators, including one called Nabil, and published The Jerusalem Report indicate that
Nabil is one of a growing number of fugitive collaborators who, with their families, are being secretly resettled in a multi-million dollar operation by the Defense Ministry in Jewish cities, mixed Jewish-Arab communities and Arab towns in Israel-and even abroad. At the end of 1994, police put the number of relocated collaborator families at 618. Today, observers estimate there are over 1,000... Already, fugitive collaborators can be found in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheba, in smaller towns like Afulah, Lod and Holon, and in the Arab towns of Tirah, Shfaram, Nazareth and the Beduin township of Rahat, near Beersheba. In the poor neighborhoods of South Tel Aviv and adjacent Jaffa, there are 160 to 200 collaborator families.
For additional information on Palestinian collaborators and the assistance provided to them by the Israeli government, please consult the attached 13 July 1995 report from The Jerusalem Report.
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
Agence France Presse (AFP). 22 July 1996. "Israel Lifts Blockade on Ramallah." (NEXIS)
The Jerusalem Report. 13 July 1995. Peter Hirschberg. "Voyage of the Damned," p. 12.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). 22 July 1996. Naomi Segal. "Palestinians Say Israeli Arab Taken from Jerusalem is Free." (NEXIS)
Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG), Jerusalem. 15 January 1998. Telephone interview with the Executive Director.
Attachment
The Jerusalem Report. 13 July 1995. Peter Hirschberg. "Voyage of the Damned," pp. 12-14.
