Families remain apart due to harsh regulations enforced by Israel


June 26, 2012

Ramallah: Hassan Mansour, a resident of the city of Nablus on the West Bank, has dedicated his recent life to bringing his Gazan wife Rinad to live with him, but Israeli authorities have rejected all requests from both husband and wife.

For the past two years the couple have attempted to unite, but have not been granted permission by Israel. They have approached legal and human rights organisations and lodged several complaints with various courts, but have not achieved success.

Mansour said he was not able to visit Gaza to propose to his wife as the Israeli authorities denied him a permit. In response, he allowed another person in Gaza to make the marriage proposal on his behalf. Mansour is not allowed to go to Gaza to live with his wife and Rinad is not allowed to come to the West Bank to live with her husband.

Israel strictly controls movement between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for Palestinians to the detriment of hundreds of families who are split between the two parts of the Palestinian Territories.

Israel has banned hundreds of Palestinian couples living separately from each other in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from reuniting.

Ma’arouf Zahran, the undersecretary of the General Authority of Civil Affairs department said Israel has denied 300 Palestinian couples the right to unite.

Small successes

"Going to Gaza is a bit easier for a wife or a husband, but coming to the West Bank is impossible," he said.

"We have been able to resolve a very limited number of cases to unite a few couples," he added.

"In very rare cases, couples have come up with medical reports to get treatment in the West Bank, or come up with official documents to attend certain occasions and thereby have been able to live in the West Bank with their families," he said.

"Israel handles this issue within its security agenda and does not give the General Authority of Civil Affairs the chance to address this issue," he stressed.

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