“Israel” stripped thousands of Jerusalem Arabs of residency in 2008

The state-figures were made public in the "Israeli" newspaper Haaretz on Wednesday. The total was 21 times higher than the average of the previous 40 years.

In the first 40 years of "Israeli" occupation "Israel" revoked residency rights of 8,558. More than double that number lost their ID cards in 2008 alone.

The Interior Ministry told Haaretz that the increase stemmed from a 2008 decision by the previous "Israeli" government to investigate the legal status of thousands of Palestinians in East Al Qud (Jerusalem).

The 250,000 Palestinians with "Israeli"-issued East Al Qud (Jerusalem) identity cards have the same legal status as people who immigrated to "Israel" legally, but are not entitled to citizenship, Attorney Yotam Ben-Hillel of Hamoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual said. 

"They are treated as if they were immigrants to Israel, despite the fact that it is Israel that came to them in 1967," Haaretz quoted him as saying.

"Israel" occupied East Al Qud (Jerusalem) along with the rest of the West Bank in 1967, and annexed a chunk of the West Bank as a part of what was then declared Al Quds (Jerusalem), the capital of "Israel". Palestinians in the annexed territory refused "Israeli" citizenship. Like the international community, they do not recognize the legitimacy of "Israeli" control over the area.

Jerusalemite lawyer Usama Al-Halabi says that "every Palestinian with "Israeli" identity has no real rights to life in Al Quds (Jerusalem). "Israel" can confiscate the identity at any time."

Because of their status as non-citizen residents, Palestinians in Al Quds (Jerusalem) can easily lose their ID cards. 

According to Ma'an news agency, lawyers said that simply leaving for five years, or obtaining residency or citizenship in another country can endanger Al Quds (Jerusalem) resident's rights.

For instance, students who went for a few years to study in another country, can now no longer return to their homes. And once a Palestinian has lost his residency, even returning to Jerusalem for a family visit can be impossible. 

"The phenomenon of revoking people's residency has reached frightening dimensions," said Dalia Kerstein, Hamoked's executive director. "The Interior Ministry operation in 2008 is just part of a general policy whose goal is to restrict the size of the Palestinian population and maintain a Jewish majority in Al Quds (Jerusalem). The Palestinians are natives of this city."