Noam Sheizaf has turned up another interesting Wikileaks cable that details the Israeli “blockade” of foreign citizens working for Palestinian businesses in the West Bank– not letting them in. Writes Sheizaf:
While most people who follow the news from Israel and the Palestinian territories know well enough that Israel blocks travel to and from Gaza, it is always surprising how few are aware that all exists and entries to the West Bank are also controlled by Israel.
Now here’s the 2009 State Department Human Rights report.
You won’t find any mention of the issue there. Nothing about foreign workers having trouble getting visas.
But just read the US consulate’s report to the State Department about the matter. This is during the Obama administration, October 2009. Pretty screwed-up case:
Upon returning from Amman in early October, a 23-year old Amcit [American citizen] employee of Rawabi developer, Bayti, was delayed and questioned for eleven hours by GOI officials at the Allenby crossing. She said she told them she worked for a private company in Ramallah, owned by Bashar Masri, and that she had left Israel to Jordan so as not to overstay the terms of her three-month tourist visa. During the course of the day, she claims to have been informed that the Ministry of Interior intended to arrest her for immigration violations and/or deport her.
…She claims that different Israeli officials argued (in front of her) about what to do with her, noting that she worked for Masri, who is well known to GOI officials who work on West Bank economic issues. After many rounds of questioning, she was given an entry stamp restricting her travel to “PA-areas” only. She reiterated that her work requires regular travel to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for meetings with Israelis, but was rebuffed. Fearing deportation, she says she accepted the “PA-only” restriction and will abide by it, despite the fact that it hampers her ability to do her job for Rawabi.
You Need a Work Visa (But Can’t Get One) —————————————-
…Over the course of her eleven hours at Allenby, the Amcit (who has no family ties to the West Bank or Gaza) was repeatedly told that she was “working illegally” in the West Bank, and that she needed to get a “work visa” and “stop pretending to be a tourist.” She says she clarified that she has always been upfront about her work in Ramallah, and she asked the MOI official what the process is to secure a work visa. She claims he did not reply….
Negotiations Support Unit (NSU) Legal Advisor Hala Rashed clarified that there is no documentation that will satisfy all elements of the GOI at the Israeli-controlled points of entry other than an Israeli work visa. However, she said, to get a work visa, she said, the company or NGO in the West Bank must also have a branch in Israel, which can secure Israeli work visas for its employees in the West Bank. As a result, she said, such visas are “virtually ungettable” for foreigners working in Palestinian companies….
Contacts working in Ramallah confirmed that the customary practice is to go to Amman every three months, with proof of employment, and renew their visas upon re-entry.
