The dilemma of this Palestinian woman named Sahar Kabaha pictured here with her daughter (one of her four children) typifies the criminal & apartheid irrationalities of Israeli immigration policy. Kabaha was married to an Israeli Palestinian man. The family lived in the Arab-Israeli town of Bartaa which straddles the line between Israel & the West Bank. After her husband died last year Israel refused to renew her residency permit even though her small children are all Israeli citizens. She is legally appealing deportation orders against her.
Foreign spouses of Jewish Israelis are eligible for citizenship under the Zionist Law of Return while Palestinian spouses have been denied even residency permits under restrictions imposed in 2003--thus exposing the flagrant racist character of Israeli immigration policy. To justify the policy Israel raises the specter of security & suicide bombers but in the decade since they imposed residency restrictions on Palestinians official Israeli figures only show 5 security-related crimes. And when it comes to Israel arresting Palestinians even those 5 are suspect.
About 1.6 million Palestinians are Israeli citizens linked by ethnic & family bonds to the 4.4 million Palestinians living in the West Bank & Gaza. Palestinians from the West Bank may apply for temporary permits to live & work in Israel but they may not drive, access health care, welfare, or apply for citizenship. Palestinians from Gaza are outright banned from living in Israel. Israel has had a harder time banning love.
And yet there are those who agree with Netanyahu’s claim that the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement against Israel is anti-Semitic rather than an effective protest against racism & apartheid! Go figure!
Support Palestinian rights by boycotting all Israeli products (barcode beginning 729)!
(Photo by Dusan Vranic/AP)
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