While international public opinion busies itself with the regional peace process, attentively following the developments in the diplomatic arena, the Israeli government is undertaking one of the most far-reaching attacks against the Palestinian people’s right of residence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 

One the one hand, confiscations of lands and water sources continue at an accelerated pace, on the other, the authorities continue to further restrict the right of Palestinians and their families to reside in the Occupied Territories. This second aspect is less known than the issues of land confiscation and the establishment of settlements; however it can be seen- perhaps more than any other issue - as a model containing all the elements of Israeli government policy which refuses even to accept this people’s simple existence in its homeland. 

Article 74 of Protocol 1 of the 1977 addendum to the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The High Contracting Parties and Parties to the conflict shall facilitate in every possible way the reunion of families dispersed as a result of armed conflicts and shall encourage in particular the work of the humanitarian organizations engaged in this task in accordance with the provisions of this Protocol and in conformity with their respective security regulations.” This Article has been continuously and systematically disregarded by the Israeli occupation authorities. 

Exactly because we have recently seen hopes - or maybe we should rather call them illusions - of a speedy political solution granting justice to the Palestinian people, we decided to issue this bulletin containing current and updated information on violations of the right of residence of Palestinians and their families. It is our hope that this information will prove useful to those activists in Israel and abroad who have taken upon themselves the struggle against this violation of the basic human rights of residents in the Occupied Territories and their relatives.