Today the virtual visit to Palestine went to Jerusalem, where we went (virtually) to Im al Zarazeer, the Old City and Beit Safafa and heard a number of talks about Palestinian life in the city. All of the talks were about the pressures Israel is putting on Palestinians and one was about the issue of Jerusalem residency.
Since it was started, Israel has continually pushed Palestinians from the city, first almost completely emptying West Jerusalem and its villages of Palestinians in 1948, and then after the occupation/ annexation of 1967 pushing Palestinians progressively from East Jerusalem.
In 1967, Israel made the Palestinians from East Jerusalem into ‘residents’ which doesnt give them citzenship, and then, often changing the goalposts, has made it prgressively harder for many to stay in the city. People born in the city and whose parents for generation before generation came from the city are finding they need proofs of all sorts to be allowed to stay there.
During that time, Israel has revoked the residency of *15,000* Palestinian Jerusalemites, including very many children, not allowing them to have any services or protection and making them stateless in their own city and country. We know many people who continue to suffer from this, young people with no IDs in a land of IDs and dangerous checkpoints, husbands and wives divided or living in impossible situations.