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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 13:22 15/10/2007 Israeli sources confirm W. Bank residency granted to 5,000 Palestinians By Amira Hass, Haaretz Correspondent The state has recently agreed to grant West Bank resident status to some 5,000 people who seek family reunification with their Palestinian families, sources in the defense establishment told Haaretz. The sources explained that the recipients had asked to be recognized as West Bank residents in the past. The decision to approve their request was part of a goodwill gesture toward the Palestinian Authority under Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the sources said. Palestinian officials said Wednesday that Israel had granted official residency status to 3,500 Palestinians who in the last decade entered the West Bank on Israeli-issued visitors' visas but never left. Advertisement However, the approval is a one-off incident and does not represent a renewal of the family-reunification mechanism Israel halted in 2001, following the outbreak of the second intifada. The Oslo Accords stipulated that Israel will grant resident status to 2,000 families every year as part of family reunification. In 2000, the Israeli government agreed to increase the number to 4,000 requests per year, before pulling the plug on the project one year later. Human rights groups HaMoked: Center for the Defense of the Individual and B'Tselem told Haaretz that 120,000 first-degree relatives have sent requests to the Palestinian Authority for family reunification. Some of the applicants are abroad, and unable to enter the West Bank. Others are already staying in the West Bank. Bookmark to del.icio.us Dividing Jerusalem PM Olmert questions whether Arab neighborhoods should be defined as part of the capital. Who is a Jew? Israel's draft constitution states that 'every Jew is entitled to immigrate to Israel.'   1.   amazing : they need permission to enetr their country 05:37  |  Sam (UK) 15/10/07   2.   FIND HOUSING FOR THEM ELSEWHERE.LEST THEY BE KLLED BY HAMAS-FATAH 06:19  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 15/10/07   3.   Allowing more into our country 07:42  |  Ruth Broch 15/10/07   4.   Does Israel control Gaza residency as well? 08:33  |  J K 15/10/07   5.   To Ruth Broch 08:55  |  Local 15/10/07   6.   SHAME ON US! 09:01  |  Miriam 15/10/07   7.   Correzction to sam(alla) 09:27  |  trumpeldor 15/10/07   8.   Stingy, reneging and lying zionists 09:41  |  Hannah 15/10/07   9.   #3, Ruth Broch, squatting upon Palestinian land 09:51  |  Hannah 15/10/07   10.   #4, J K 09:59  |  Hannah 15/10/07   11.   #1 and others 10:46  |  nina 15/10/07   12.   Dave 10:53  |  UK 15/10/07   13.   one sided peace....... 11:03  |  bobo 15/10/07   14.   Absolutely amazing! Perfect example of a racist apartheid regime 11:03  |  Hypocrisy Monitor 15/10/07   15.   Palestinian occupation of Israel violates Koran. 11:43  |  True Believer 15/10/07   16.   HANNAH`S SATISFACTION 12:46  |  M 15/10/07   17.   # 8 Hannah 13:00  |  Lynn 15/10/07   18.   #16, M 13:35  |  Hannah 15/10/07   19.   #17, Lynn 13:41  |  Hannah 15/10/07   20.   Sam UK they should be allowed into Jordan tout suite 14:09  |  Sweet Judy Blue Eyes 15/10/07   21.   They Can Unify in South Korea with Sun Yung Moon 14:15  |  Mike 15/10/07   22.   Hannah 14:40  |  Joshua 15/10/07   23.   I am one of those waiting 14:41  |  Ramallah`s Son 15/10/07   24.   No 23 I believe you. 15:19  |  Palestinian Brit 15/10/07   25.   TO # 14 15:31  |  EVEN 15/10/07   26.   to #14, Hypocrisy 15:39  |  Ilya 15/10/07   27.   on the walls of Hebron 16:09  |  ralph is back 15/10/07   28.   Hannah, help us seriously, or be silent already. 16:44  |  Saeid 15/10/07   29.   Palestenians: take back control of your country 17:45  |  Wael 15/10/07   30.   #22, Joshua 18:19  |  Hannah 15/10/07   31.   #28, shameless zionist 18:22  |  Hannah 15/10/07   32.   Bank residency is unnecessary 18:35  |  Brian Hunt 15/10/07   33.   #31 Hannah, it is me, Saeid... 18:46  |  Saeid 15/10/07   34.   To Hannah about "Saeid", no doubt a Zionist 21:27  |  Hypocrisy Monitor 15/10/07   35.   #4 Of course they control Gaza residency, JK 03:33  |  Johnboy 16/10/07

Today Online Editorial: Hail Rice for paving the way for dividing the land Responses: 99 Daniel Ben Simon: Once-moderate Shas moves to extreme right Responses: 20 PM: Israel's enemies hiking price in 'ugly trade' for our MIAs Responses: 63 Polish rightist party slammed for anti-Semitic campaign ad Responses: 65 Likud urges Shas, Lieberman to quit gov't over PM's J'lem hints Responses: 33 Rosner's Domain * Rice "understand risks to announcing a meeting" (WTR) * Guest: How to stop Hamas from spoiling Annapolis? * McCain is the pro-peace process GOP candidate * And also faired better than Giuliani on Iran (The Israel Factor) More Headlines 16:20 PM: Enemies hiking price in 'ugly trade' for our MIAs 16:42 Rice wins Egyptian support for Mideast peace conference 16:27 Two Palestinians, including one militant, killed in IDF Nablus raid 16:49 Assad says Turkey trying to mediate between Syria, Israel 17:07 Gov't to try to ease taxes on olim who run businesses overseas 06:53 Likud urges Shas, Lieberman to quit gov't over PM's 'intention' 14:51 Polish right-wing party accused of running anti-Semitic campaign ad 12:08 Egypt finds two tunnels at Gaza border, arrests three Palestinians 06:43 Abductees' families cautiously optimistic over Hezbollah deal Previous Editions Select Day 15 oct 14 oct 12 oct 11 oct 10 oct 09 oct 08 oct 07 oct 05 oct 04 oct 03 oct 02 oct

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