Jerusalem Interior Ministry declares new visa policy for spouses of Jerusalem residents 

Since February 1994, the Interior Ministry has been issuing six month renewable visas/visit permits to non-resident spouses (holders of foreign passports or West Bank/Gaza IDs) of Jerusalem residents following their application for family reunification. This new measure will hopefully provide relief to many couples who have had to live with the fear that one of the spouses would be arrested due to his/her illegal presence in Jerusalem. (With the current strict military closure of Jerusalem, illegal residence is the only option for non-resident members of Palestinian families in the city) However, this is still only a very minor measure, unable to correct even the most urgent humanitarian problems of Palestinian families in the city. The new permits are valid until the couple receives the Ministry’s answer to their application for family reunification. Since the Ministry’s traditional policy of refusing applications especially those of husbands of Jerusalem residents, has remained unchanged, all these couples will again face the choice of whether to live in the city illegally or to leave and forfeit their right to live in Jerusalem.

 
index
issues no. 8-9