Israel seeks to deport East Jerusalem man for spending too many years in U.S.
Elias Khayyo, who holds no foreign citizenship, has been detained at a Ramle prison for weeks.
By Amira Hass Tags: East Jerusalem Israel news PalestiniansThe Interior Ministry is demanding that a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem be deported for having spent too many years in the United States. Elias Khayyo - who holds no foreign citizenship - has been detained for three weeks at Givon incarceration facility in Ramle with other people deemed illegal residents and slated for deportation.
Khayyo, 41, was born in East Jerusalem and currently resides in the Christian Quarter of the Old City, where his parents also live. He says he has no relatives in America, nor a home, property or employment there.
The Interior Ministry, however, maintains that his permanent residency in Israel was revoked in January 2006, due to Khayyo having lived in the U.S. from 1998 to 2005 and receiving permanent-residence status there. Khayyo received bachelor's and master's degrees in biology over two extended stays in the U.S. He is now working as a translator in Jerusalem.
The ministry claims Khayyo resided abroad for more than seven years, and that he returned to Israel in 2005 as a tourist by presenting U.S. travel documents.
Khayyo was detained at the Qalandiyah checkpoint on January 10 while en route from Ramallah to Jerusalem, and his identity documents and mobile phone were confiscated. He was instructed to sign unspecified documents but refused, stating that the documents in question were written only in Hebrew.
Khayyo was then transported to Givon by members of the Oz task force against immigration violations. Once there, he was informed that papers had been filed for his deportation from Israel.
From his incarceration, Khayyo told Haaretz by phone that he had studied in the U.S. from 1990 to 1996, then returned to Jerusalem. He replaced his expired ID card with a new one, and did not encounter problems with Israeli authorities.
After capturing and annexing East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel granted Palestinian residents living there permanent residency - a status based on the Law of Entry to Israel," even though they and their families didnot enter Israel, but were born in Jerusalem.
In 1998 Khayyo returned to the U.S. to pursue a master's degree. He married a U.S. citizen and began the naturalization process to receive citizenship. The day after the September 11, 2001 attacks he was dismissed from his job - in his view, due to anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment. In 2002, he and his wife divorced. Khayyo comes from a Christian family. His mother, Elizabeth, is of Armenian descent, whose family survived the genocide in Turkey.
In 2005 Khayyo decided to return to Jerusalem. He said he had sought to have his Israeli-issued travel documents extended, but was told by the Israeli consulate in Philadelphia that due to his possession of a U.S. Green Card he had to enter Israel as a tourist, and have his American travel document stamped with an Israeli visa, valid for three months. Consulate authorities told him his status vis-a-vis Israel would be taken care of once in the country.
In 1995, under Haim Ramon, the Interior Ministry began taking a harder line against East Jerusalem Palestinians, revoking the permanent-residence status of many of those living outside the municipal borders of Jerusalem (often due to policy-created housing shortages) and those living abroad.
In 2000, after a long public campaign against the new measure, then-minister Natan Sharansky told the High Court of Justice that the Interior Ministry would return to its pre-1995 policy, and vowed to reinstate the permanent-residence status of those East Jerusalemites for whom it had been revoked, as long as they had been living again in the city for at least two years.
After returning to his Jerusalem home, Khayyo contacted an attorney and understood from him that he fell within Sharansky's category of Jerusalemitee entitled to permanent residency status.
The Interior Ministry maintains that his ID card was revoked in 2006, though Khayyo had used it throughout the four years since then without complications.
Attorney Nabil Izhiman, whom Khayyo contacted when placed into the immigration authorities' custody, petitioned the Administrative Court to issue a preliminary order to prevent Khayyo's deportation and the revocation of his residency. For now, the deportation has been postponed.
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Jerusalem's Old City. |
| Photo by: (Haaretz) |
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as long as there is israelis with such a high morals like Amira Hass there will be hope for peace in the middle east
Enough is enough! This is appalling and it is clearly not the kind of Zionism I grew up with. I'm going to contact Elias Khayyo's lawyer and do whatever I can to help him stay, and I mean that. This is his his legal and moral right. As a Jew and a Zionist and as one who loves Israel deeply I am determined to fight for my country's soul and for mine as well.
Unbelievable, had this been reversed we would be raising a flag of anti semitism, and calling the Palestinians all kinds of names. This is clearly ethnic cleansing, another Israeli attempt to eradicate any and all Arabs from Jerusalem. What does his living in the US have anything to do with his right to live in the country he was born in. Than lets start deportation proceeding for all American and Israeli's who claim dual citizenship. Especially American Jews who get Israeli Citizenship so that they can occupy Palestinian lands in the West Bank. Didn't the Germans play this game to disenfranchise the Jews, claiming that their property belongs to Germany. I am ashamed that the US continues to support Israel, who is terrorizing who?
Certain human rights really ought to be self evident.
A: "In most European Countries it is not uncommon for children of Immigrants or from Commonwealth Countries not to have the citizenship of their birth country. " Tell me, Al, is that child then stateless?? I would suggest that the answer is "no" i.e. those EU countries do NOT follow practices that would result in them turning anyone into a "stateless person". Compare and contrast to a Palestinian child born in Jerusalem i.e. if Israel doesn't grant them citizenship then that person has no other state that they can seek citizenship from. You are ok with that, are you?
Arabic is an official language of the State of Israel.
Funny how they can do this and still deny extraditing criminal jews back to the U.S. for trial on charges of money laundering, extortion, robbery, theft, child molesting, child pornography, murder, treason, spying, and a thousand others... Time for a change in foreign policy, or for a change in regimes...
in East Jerusalem with the claim that he's an illegal resident. Christian Muslim or Jew shouldn't make a difference when it pertains to going abroad for an education. Hundreds of thousands of people travel all over the world many thousands spend years abroad get married start families and move back and forth between their home country and their adopted country, should they lose their residency and citizenship of their home country ? or just the none Jewish ones. I have dealt with a number of Jews from Israel that live here in the US for extended periods of time and go back and forth, under the formula of the existent structure they are illegal residents and therefore should be deported. The state of Israel wants to deport a Christian man from his homeland because he went to the US for his education where he received a Bachelor and Masters degrees. This case points out the worst Israel has to offer, discrimination of the worst kind. Perfect example why many people hate Israel/Jews
"Anyway, when are you all going to talk about the hundreds of thousands of Jews who were deported from Arab countries (minus their valuables)" Two or more?? "Can you imagine Jews going back to Muslim countries and being welcome there." Last year Iranian Jews refused money to leave. Didn't they? Mmmm? Strange, I've been to many Muslim countries. But then I don't advocate illegally acquiring other folk's territories....
"he did not take the offer of Israel citizenship" It ISN'T Israel. They're "territories occupied" "He lost residence remaining outside for extended time." According to Israeli Civilian Law, which does not apply in "territories occupied". " Same thing happens to US Canada non citizen residents too." We're talking about a CITIZEN of Palestine, IN Occupied Palestine, he's protected by the GC's. " A Palestinian born in Egypt does not get citizenship" He wasn't born in Egypt, he's a Palestinian from Palestine, in Palestine. " and if outside Egypt for certain time cannot return to live in Egypt" By your analogy, it's the US he shouldn't be allowed to return to.
Just send him to any Arab country, where he can be with his own ilk.
In most European Countries it is not uncommon for children of Immigrants or from Commonwealth Countries not to have the citizenship of their birth country. So don?t be so excited about it! As for me, I hope Mr. Khayyo will succeed and get his Citizenship returned.
Anyway, when are you all going to talk about the hundreds of thousands of Jews who were deported from Arab countries (minus their valuables). Can you imagine Jews going back to Muslim countries and being welcome there. It's funny how certain things are left unsaid.
Deport him to Turkey, he'll be at home there (excuse the pun).
D: "Why doesn`t he take Palestinian Citizenship" Why should he? After all, according to ISRAEL he wasn't born in the West Bank. D: "Simple solution, he never had Israeli citizenship" Let's just stop and think about how Israel has arranged that, shall we? This is a city that ISRAEL insists it has legally annexed. A person is born in that city, and yet Israel considers that Israeli citizenship is merely an "optional extra" for that child. D: "Obviously the issue is that he is an Arab," No, it isn't. ISRAEL insists this is an Israeli city. There should have been no "ifs" or "buts" about the citizenship of the inhabitants of thatd city; they come **with** the city i.e. they are annexed **along** **with** that city. Israel has tried to tease the two apart i.e. taking the CITY (thank you very much) but not the INHABITANTS (yuck! not if we can help it). That stinks, Daniel. It stinks to high heaven.
Q: Deport him where, exactly? After all, he was born in Jerusalem i.e. he is a Jerusalemite. According to ISRAEL's own logic they can't deport him "back" to the West Bank, because according to ISRAEL the city of Jerusalem (you know, the city of his birth) has nothing to do with the West Bank. And he certainly can't be deported "back" to America, because a Green Card is nothing more than a "work permit", not a mark of American citizenship. So where, exactly, does Israel intend to deport him **TO** when they deport him **FROM** Jerusalem?
he did not take the offer of Israel citizenship. He lost residence remaining outside for extended time. Same thing happens to US Canada non citizen residents too. A Palestinian born in Egypt does not get citizenship and if outside Egypt for certain time cannot return to live in Egypt
Palestine... "he never had Israeli citizenship .." Israel is an occupying power. It's civilian law has no place in "territories occupied" or illegally annexed. Jerusalem is in Palestine. http://wp.me/pDB7k-il "..and he lost permanent residency.." According to an illegal Israeli Civilian Law in "territories occupied"
Personally I don't mind people haveing dual Israeli and British citizenship, but not if people support this policy. If you're going to say that a person born in E. Jerusalem loses his right to live there because he left the ocuntry for 7 years and got residency in the US, then clearly, to be fair, British and American citizens who get Israeli citizenship and live there for 7 years, should lose their right to live in the UK or US. Even Zionists have to be fair sometimes.
"these practices" is Zionism. Putting the rights of one group of people over the rights of another is the basis of the state if Israel. Yours is a country founded on prejudice and requiring it in order to continue. How can you live like this?
Simple solution, he never had Israeli citizenship and he lost permanent residency because he became an American resident. Obviously the issue is that he is an Arab, so let him take Palestinian citizenship. Problem solved.
Eli Yisahi and his particular reign of terror on peoples life is a black spot on our history. This kind of discusting behvior highlights the ugly side of Israel.
who have lived away from Jerusalem for (fairy tale) 'two thousand years!'
Israel is engaging in low-grade ethnic cleansing...between its policies of revoking citizenships, refusing building permits, neglecting roads and other municipal services to Arab East Jerusalem...it is all part of an overall scheme to make life as difficult as possible for Jerusalem's Arabs in the hopes of forcing them out of the city. Simply put, it is ETHNIC CLEANSING. Israel of all people should be ashamed. As a long time supporter of Israel, I am beginning to notice a lot of ugly behavior from the State of Israel these days and am rethinking my support for the country.
I read recently that Israelis whose parents or grand parents were born in East Eurpoean countries are entitled to and are lining up at these embassies in order to obtain EU passports. Contrast this with the ETHNIC cleansing policies of Israel vis-a-vis the Palestinian Arabs (Moslems and Christians) in East Jerusalem. A light unto the nations indeed!
I hold dual citizenship. Nor am I left or right. I believe Israel is dodging peace efforts and stalling to gain as much as they can to give little of it back and call peace then. It might just be me thinking it but reasons like this give the people reasons to point figures at us. I have been is U.S. for over 5 years and I can take a flight to Israel tomorrow and take a flight back and no questions will be asked but this guy who was born in Jerusalem ( I was born in U.S.) has less rights than me. Recognition of these practices by Israel is giving us a bad image.
enlightenment and being called (if you're Jewish) a Self Hating Jew, ( if not ) Antisemitic, terrorist supporter, Jew hater, anything else they can think of...
of ethnic cleansing. works good with the abandoned property law, by the way.
Yes - Jerusalem is filled with luxury apartments owned by rich overseas jews who spend a few weeks to a few months annually in them. Most of these owners are not legal residents of Israel (or citizens obviously) but simply rich jews who want a foothold in Jerusalem. The policy of revocation of status of arabs from Jerusalem probably stems from the need to minimize the possible number of people who can claim a right of return to Jerusalem under some future final status agreement with the arabs, but in this case seems to have been improperly, unjustly and cruelly used.
this behaviour is terrorism, racism and a crime against humanity. nothing less.
then he could do almost anything he desires with total impunity... attack the police, the IDF... http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1146350.html ...he could tell Israel to shove the law (Not that Israeli Civil law is legitimate in "territories occupied")
Out of all Israeli policies that people rail about, this is one of the most frustrating, irrational ones. Treating the natives as immigrants is an irony that is lost on most Israelis. Here, they are treating Palestinians' residency as a "privilege" that the state - a state of immigrants - grants conditionally. Palestinians never *asked* to be admitted, they never *came* to Israel, they never *sought* anything. Let's get it straight: The State came to them. Bureaucratic terror is worse than tanks and jeeps. Thanks Amira for shedding some light on underreported aspects of the occupation.
I am new to this area and its debates, and I am keen to become better informed. Is it true that American citizens of the Jewish faith may own apartments in Jerusalem and may come and go as they please regardless of their ethnicity? And whatever the interval between visits? Is anyone able to enlighten me?
Typical of the Racist Thugs in Govt. If he is Jewish would things be the same
Only Israel would do that!
How many Jews who live in the U.S. came here with Israeli passports and have lived in the U.S. many years? Does the same law apply to them? I hope that one of you "regulars" who have an answer for every apparent difference in treatment of Non-Jewish Israelis will provide an authoritative answer to my comment.
How many Jews who live in the U.S. came here with Israeli passports and have lived in the U.S. many years? Does the same law apply to them? I hope that one of you "regulars" who have an answer for every apparent difference in treatment of Non-Jewish Israelis will provide an authoritative answer to my comment.