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.”
