Israel is purging Palestinians from Jerusalem

The Secretary General of the Islamic-Christian Committee for Protecting Jerusalem and the Holy Sites, Dr Hanna ?Issa has condemned the withdrawal of permanent identity cards from Palestinians in East Jerusalem as a 'silent purge’. Several Palestinian residents of Jerusalem have been surprised recently to be given a temporary residence permit with an expiry date when renewing their Israeli-issued identity cards, leading to concerns that the cards will not be renewed again if the holders cannot provide proof of their residence in Jerusalem. Dr Issa claims that the change is the result of a deliberate policy by the Israeli government to Judaize Jerusalem by driving out its Palestinian population. Speaking to Arab Today on Wednesday, Dr Issa said: “Following a considerable increase in the ?number of Palestinians in Jerusalem, their right of permanent residence in Jerusalem has been ?withdrawn, while around 20 thousand Jerusalem residents have lost their right to residency in the city because the ?Israeli government imposes the condition that they reside within the artificial borders of the city. “The ?occupation authorities, via the Israeli Interior Minister and with the support of the National Insurance ?Institute, continued to withdraw the identity cards of Jerusalem residents throughout 2012, when more than 4577 people had their right of residence revoked.” The committee director explained that Palestinians in the holy city are put at risk of losing their status by the requirement, set by the Israeli ?Higher Court in 1988, that residents prove they are living within the green line or the municipality of Jerusalem in order to obtain permanent residency. According to Dr Issa, this not only difficult to prove, but also contravenes international law which prohibits occupying authorities from expelling the indigenous population. Hatem Abdel Kader, the senior Fatah official in charge of Jerusalem affairs, ?criticised Israel for targeting Palestinian ?Jerusalem-dwellers, calling it an Israeli attempt to force their displacement. Speaking to Arab Today, he said: “The Palestinian ?situation is at boiling point, and there is tension because of the severe violations against ?Palestinians everywhere, especially in occupied Jerusalem.”? The Fatah leader warned that Palestinian ?Jerusalemites would rise up if violations by the occupation authorities escalated, saying the situation could explode at any minute.?