Israeli rights group: Israel denies Palestinian children Jerusalem residency

Ma'an – The Israeli Ministry of Interior denies permanent residency to Palestinian schoolchildren in ‎Jerusalem, an Israeli human rights group said Tuesday.

HaMoked, the center for the defence of the individual, will argue a case ‎Thursday at the Israeli Supreme Court that could determine the fate of scores of children who have been denied the right to ‎permanent residency.

The case concerns Bara’a Srur, who was born in Jerusalem. His parents applied for ‎his registration as a Jerusalem permanent resident, and he began the process, beginning with ‎the two years of temporary residency required by the Ministry of Interior. But when ‎Srur applied for his “upgrade” to permanent status two years later, the ministry refused his ‎request.

Their claim: because he turned 14 during the two-year temporary residency period, ‎he was now over the age limit for permanent residency. HaMoked appealed on his behalf, ‎and the Jerusalem District Court ordered the State to grant Srur permanent residency status. ‎He received his ID card and official status, only to find that the State is appealing.

“The MoI is waging the ‎demographic battle for Jerusalem on the backs of school-age children and their families," HaMoked attorney Leora Bechor said. "‎The Ministry has appropriated a humanitarian amendment and turned it into a callous, legal ‎tool to deny permanent residency to as many children as possible. HaMoked hopes that the ‎Supreme Court will intervene to correct this injustice.”‎