BADIL

Over 50 people attended an open forum on “The Confiscation of Jerusalem Identity Cards from Jerusalemite Women” at the Jerusalem Center for Women in Dahiet al-Barid on May 25. Many of those attending were themselves victims, or relatives of victims of the Interior Ministry’s policy of confiscating Jerusalem ID cards from Palestinians, mainly women, living outside the city.
The meeting opened with a speech by Azmi Abu al-Soud, a former employee at the Israeli Interior Ministry and now director of the Center for Studies of Civil and Social Rights at the Orient House. He explained how ID cards are confiscated, both by Interior Ministry clerks, and by soldiers at checkpoints and the Allenby Bridge. Clerks often say they need to “hold onto” the Jersusalemites ID for a short period, and then refuse to return it. Soldiers, while checking IDs at a checkpoint, sometimes surreptitiously confiscate the form that accompanies all ID cards which lists the holder’s address and any children who are registered on his/her ID card. The Jerusalemite, upon finding this form missing, must then go to the Interior Ministry for a new one. There a cases where the form is returned, but with the children no longer registered on the ID. Instead, they are considered “visiting children”.

(PNGO Conference, 18 - 19 May 1995, Jerusalem)

Main speakers in the refugee workshop of this conference held under the slogan “The Voice of the Palestinian NGOs” were Walid Salem, a Jerusalem researcher, Najeh Jarrar, chairman of Forced Migration Studies Program at al-Najah University in Nablus and Dr. Taiseer `Amer, a member of the Palestinian delegation to the multilateral refugee working group.
Walid Salem presented data and various definitions of who is a refugee or displaced person. US, European and Arab positions to the issue and possible scenarios for the future of the Palestinian refugees and displaced. Mr. Salem underlined that the most likely scenario is that of a resettlement of the majority of the refugees in their host countries and of an Israeli “compromise” which will allow the return of a minority to Palestine. He also listed two major problems of the current negotiations, i.e. the Israeli-US rejection of UN Resolution 194 as terms of reference and the Palestinian delegation’s acceptance of projects for improving living conditions in the refugee camps. The latter, unless accompanied by a massive return of refugees, will lead to their resettlement outside of Palestine.
Najeh Jarrar presented a survey of the bad living conditions of refugees in the camps of Lebanon and called for the immediate return of the one million poorest and most endangered refugees to Gaza and the Galilee.
Parallely, ways to increase absorption space in the Gaza Strip must be investigated, e.g. the possibility to expand Gaza towards the Negev.
Dr. Taiseer `Amer summarized the events of the multilateral talks on refugees from the first to the most recent round. He presented the positions of all major participants, especially those of the Israeli and the Palestinian delegations and emphasized that there is a strong motion in favor of the resettlement of refugees. Thus, for example, Turkey and Bulgaria were presented as examples of successful refugee resettlement at the December 1994 meeting in Antalia/Turkey. US-delegates also demanded that UNRWA tasks in the autonomous areas should be rapidly transferred to the PA. [For a summary of the multilateral talks on refugees see also ARTICLE 74/11, December 1994]

Recommendations by the PNGO Workshop on Refugees

1) to prepare a Palestinian position paper on the refugee question as a tool for countering the Israeli position;

2) to continue efforts for the establishment of united committees for the defense of refugee rights in the camps;

3) to mobilize in support of UNRWA and for the continuation of its services;

4) to demand that UN resolutions 194 and 237 be reinstated as the terms of reference in all negotiations on refugees and displaced persons