The Israeli Military New Rules For Foreigners In The West Bank: Personal Relations To Education

Illustration of Israel's border with Palestine in the West Bank. (Wikimedia Commons / Orrling)

JAKARTA - Israeli authorities reaffirmed control of the western Bank region after the military released a list of rules and bans for foreigners in the Palestinian territories on Sunday.

Cogat, Israel's body responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, removed controversial restrictions emerging in this year's draft rules, such as the requirements for people in romantic relations with local Palestinians to register with Israeli authorities.

"The Israeli military proposes new restrictions on isolating Palestinian society from the outside world and keeping Palestinian families from living together," said Jessica Montell, executive director of HaMoked, an Israeli human rights group that opposes the rules in court.

"In response to criticism, they have removed the most outrageous elements. However, they still maintain the basic structure of this highly invasive and dangerous procedure."

The rules will take effect on October 20.

The broad policy applies rules to foreigners marrying Palestinians or who come to the West Bank to work, volunteer, learn or teach.

The rules do not apply to people visiting Israel or more than 130 Jewish settlements spread across the West Bank.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. They are a region Palestinians are seeking for an independent country.

Preliminary drafts include requirements, foreigners who are in serious personal relationships with local Palestinians, inform the Israeli military within 30 days of the "early relationship", which is defined as engagement, marriage, or moving together.

A 30-day notice has been removed from Sunday's rules. But it is still said, if foreigners start a relationship with a Palestinian, "appointed Cogat officials must be notified as part of their request to renew or extend the existing visa".

The new rules also change the previous limit on the number of foreign students and teachers allowed to study or work in the West Bank. The amount of time they could live in the region was also extended.

But Cogat continues to hold great wisdom over who is allowed to enter. Cogat must approve the academic credentials of a university lecturer invited by Palestinian institutions, and hold the right to screen students if there is a visa'suspect of abuse'.

Strict restrictions on foreign pairs of Palestinians also remain in effect. Couples are only entitled to short-term visits and can be asked to deposit up to 70,000 shekels (about US$20,000) to guarantee they will leave the region.

The new rules offer some possible reliefs for foreign couples, including an updated 27-month long-term visa that includes several in and out of the region visits.

It also removes previous "coolant" periods that require couples to leave for a long time between visas.

However, this new and better visa requires an application through the Palestinian Authority to Israel - an uncertain and well-known process of blurring, Montell said.

The document says the final decision must also be approved by Israel's 'political echelon'.

Meanwhile, the European Union, which sends hundreds of students and professors for academic exchanges to the West Bank each year, did not immediately comment on Israel's announcement.

Cogat officials declined to comment further, while the Palestinian Authority did not react immediately. Meanwhile, Montell said his group would continue its legal challenges.