Israel confiscated 2500 Jerusalem ID cards from Palestinians
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 3/24/1998

Palestinians insist that Israel has confiscated at least 2,500 identity cards from Palestinians living in East Jerusalem while the Israeli Ministry of Interior claimed the number of identity cards were canceled since the start of last year is not more than 358, while in the previous year only 689 Palestinians in Jerusalem lost their identity cards, and as such became ineligible for residency rights in the city.

Hatem Abdul Qader, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council from the Jerusalem area, said that Israeli figures are not accurate and insisted that Israel canceled hundreds of identity cards for Palestinians from East Jerusalem over the past few months. "According to our own statistics," said Abdul Qader, "there are more than 2500 Palestinian residents who had their identity cards cards withdrawn in the past 20 months. Besides, there are thousands more of Palestinians who reside outside the so-called municipal boundaries of the city and whose cards are also threatened with confiscation.

Palestinians estimate that at least 70,000 Palestinians live outside the municipal borders and all are threatened with the withdrawal of their cards. But efforts are being made at the highest level to discourage Israel from going ahead with the plan which is seen by Palestinians as an attempt to de-balance the demographic equilibrium in the city in favor of the Jewish population.

Such a change, Palestinians argue, can help Israel when the issue of Jerusalem is raised in the final status talks between the Palestinian government and Israel.

Previous Stories:
  No three way meeting expected with Albright, Arafat and Netanyahu   (3/19/1998)
  Palestinians in Jerusalem denied identity cards   (2/27/1998)
  Census preparations at peak, Israeli police on alert   (12/9/1997)

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