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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Breaking taboo, Jerusalem Palestinians seek Israeli citizenship |
| 2015-08-05 |
| [Ynet] While the vast majority of East Jerusalem Paleostinians refuse citizenship, more are requesting it, citing lack of peace deal, weak legal status, and pragmatism. "I declare I will be a loyal citizen of the state of Israel," reads the oath that must be sworn by all naturalized Israeli citizens. Increasingly, they are words being uttered by Paleostinians. In East Jerusalem, which Israel captured from Jordan during the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed, issues of Paleostinian identity are layered with complexity. While Israel regards the east of the city as part of Israel, the estimated 300,000 Paleostinians that live there do not. They are not Israeli citizens, instead holding Israeli-issued blue IDs that grant them permanent resident status. While they can seek citizenship if they wish, the vast majority reject it. And yet over the past decade, an increasing number of East Jerusalem Paleostinians have gone through the lengthy process of becoming Israeli citizens, researchers and lawyers say. In part it reflects a loss of hope that an independent Paleostinian state will ever emerge. But it also reflects a hard-headed pragmatism - an acknowledgement that having Israeli citizenship will make it easier to get or change jobs, buy or move house, travel abroad and receive access to services. Israeli officials are reluctant to confirm figures, but data obtained by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies indicates a jump over the past decade, rising from 114 applications in 2003 to between 800 and 1,000 a year now, around half of which are successful. On top of that, hundreds have made inquiries before the formal application process begins. Interior Ministry figures obtained by Rooters show there were 1,434 applications in 2012-13, of which 189 were approved, 1,061 are still being processed and 169 were rejected. The remainder are in limbo. Paleostinians who have applied do not like to talk about it. The loyalty oath is not an easy thing for them to sign up to and becoming a naturalized Israeli - joining the enemy - is taboo. "It felt bad, really bad," said a 46-year-old Paleostinian teacher who took the oath a year ago. Despite her reservations, she knew it was right for stability and career prospects. "We just want to live our lives," she said. "At the end of the day, politics gets you nowhere." Demographic change The fraught decisions over identity come at a time when political and religious tensions are high in Jerusalem, and yet integration has to an extent been rising. The most visible sign of that is the city's light-rail system which allows passengers - a mix of ultra-Orthodox Jews, secular Israelis, Paleostinians and tourists - quick access to west Jerusalem shopping centers, markets and parks. More Paleostinians, albeit in small numbers, have also been moving into predominantly Jewish neighborhoods and even settlements. Khalil Tafakji, a map expert and former member of the Paleostinian negotiating team, said political deadlock - the sense that years of striving for an independent Paleostinian state were going nowhere - was driving numbers up. "If this continues, what will the Paleostinians negotiate about? They want to negotiate on the land - they have already lost the land," he said. "They want to negotiate for the population and the population is being lost." Israel, he said, was trying to strengthen its hold on Jerusalem demographically, a process helped by Paleostinians taking up Israeli citizenship. Since 1967, around 24,000 Paleostinians had made the switch, he said, equivalent to almost 10 percent of the East Jerusalem Paleostinian population. The demographic impact is even wider when one considers that the children of those who become Israeli citizens are born Israeli. Israeli Interior Minister Silvan Shalom rejected the demographic argument. "This will not affect negotiations with the Paleostinians, which encompass far greater and wider issues," said Shalom, whose portfolio includes Paleostinian affairs. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #6 He call's me HEY YOU |
| Posted by: Shipman 2015-08-05 18:48 |
| #5 so help me HASHEM"? So help me GOD Newc, pious Jews do not speak or write about God casually, instead using a euphemism such as HaShem (the Name) or G-d. Reporting on the oath falls into this category. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2015-08-05 12:27 |
| #4 Jerusalem has a huge tourism industry. Probably 30,000-50,000+ people are employed in it (depending on how you count). Of those, at least half are non Jews including Israeli Christians and Moslems and Palestinians (both Moslem and Christian). The industry would not be sustainable without them. |
| Posted by: lord garth 2015-08-05 08:40 |
| #3 I'm not overly concerned. At least Israel appears to be following lawful, immigration procedure. I don't recall them having 'sanctuary cities' either. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2015-08-05 07:46 |
| #2 "I ______So solely swear or Affirm thatI will be a loyal citizen of the state of Israel, so help me HASHEM"? So help me GOD |
| Posted by: newc 2015-08-05 04:45 |
| #1 "I declare I will be a loyal citizen of the state of Israel," And if not, I will immediately cede any and all real and personal property to Israel, eat a ham sandwich, and move to the North Pole with my family wearing only my face mask. |
| Posted by: gorb 2015-08-05 01:29 |