Why Palestinians Want Israeli Citizenship

by Khaled Abu Toameh
October 23, 2012 at 5:00 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3407/palestinians-israeli-citizenship

There is no denying that by applying for Israeli citizenship, in defiance of PLO and Hamas warnings, they are actually making clear that they would rather live under Israel than any Arab rule.

The Palestinian Authority says it is worried because of the rise in the number of Palestinians from Jerusalem who are seeking Israeli citizenship.

Hatem Abdel Kader, who is in charge of the "Jerusalem Portfolio" in the ruling Fatah faction in the West Bank, revealed that more than 10,000 Palestinians from Jerusalem have been granted Israeli citizenship.

Abdel Kader attributed the growing phenomenon to the failure of the Palestinian Authority and the Arab and Islamic countries to help the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem.

In other words, he is admitting that Israel is doing more for these Palestinians than the Palestinian leadership and the entire Arab and Islamic countries.

According to figures released by the Israeli Ministry of Interior, 3,374 Palestinians obtained Israeli citizenship in the past decade.

According to ministry officials, in the past two years, the number of applicants for Israeli citizenship has intensified.

Palestinians living in Jerusalem enjoy the status of permanent residents of Israel. This means that they hold Israeli ID cards but do not have Israeli passports.

As permanent residents, they are entitled to all the rights of an Israeli citizen, with the exception of voting in general elections.

Israeli law, however, allows any resident to apply for citizenship.

Yet, in the first two decades since Israel annexed east Jerusalem after 1967, few Palestinians applied for citizenship.

At that time, it was considered an act of treason to apply for Israeli citizenship; the PLO openly threatened Palestinians who obtained it.

But the trend changed after the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and, a year later, the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Suddenly, the number of applicants increased dramatically and Palestinians were no longer afraid or ashamed to stand outside the offices of the Interior Ministry in Jerusalem to apply for Israeli citizenship.

The main reason the Palestinians rushed to apply for citizenship was their fear that Israel would also cede control over east Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority.

Their biggest fear was they would lose all the privileges they enjoy as residents living under Israeli sovereignty, including free health care and education, and freedom of movement and work.

In addition, the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem realized that despite all the difficulties they face in Israel, their living conditions were still far much better than those living under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.

Lack of democracy and massive financial corruption under the Palestinian Authority also drove many Palestinian Jerusalemites to apply for Israeli citizenship as a way of ensuring that they would always remain under Israeli sovereignty.

As one Palestinian explained, "I prefer the hell of the Jews to the paradise of Hamas or Yasser Arafat."

Another reason Palestinians are rushing to apply for Israeli citizenship is their fear that the Israeli authorities may revoke their Israeli-issued ID cards.

According to the ministry regulations, Palestinian residents of the city who move to live outside the country automatically lose their status as permanent residents.

In the past decade, many Palestinian residents who moved to the West bank or left Israel lost their Israeli-issued ID cards.

Many of those who have applied for Israeli citizenship are are Christians from Jerusalem who are also afraid of ending up under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority or Hamas.

Ironically, obtaining Israeli citizenship has become a way for Palestinians to ensure their social, economic, health and education rights in the country.

There is no denying that applying for Israeli citizenship, in defiance of PLO and Hamas warnings, is also a political statement on the part of the applicants. They are actually making clear that they would prefer to live under Israel than any Arab rule.

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Comment on this item

11 Reader Comments

Frank Bright • Jan 9, 2014 at 10:26

Has anybody mentioned a "Trojan Horse"?

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Bob Showers • Oct 25, 2012 at 10:08

As I understand the situation, all Israelites must spend two years in the military. Does this mean the Palistinians who wish to become citizens are going to spend time in the military?

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Jimmy

Bob Showers • Oct 30, 2012 at 13:44

The quote about the "hell of the Jews" spoke volumes. Name one Arab/Muslim country where a Jew or Israeli can become a citizen. No Arabs should be made Israeli citizens; only Jews should. Other so-called democratic countries do it - so can Israel. It's one way to make sure that Arabs can never vote Jews and Judaism out of Israel. If Arabs want to control their destiny through the ballot box, let them leave the country, or be content to do it with local elections.

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David • Oct 23, 2012 at 14:33

I've maintained for a while that Israel is going about this all wrong. They could solve their problems with the Palestinians unilaterally by doing two things simultaneously: (1) declare all of the Palestinian territories to be sovereign Israel, and all Palestinians living within to be Israeli citizens; and (2) recognize as Jewish at least some of the various "lost tribes" that ethnologists have been researching around the world, such as the Igbo's in Nigeria. They did this with the Falashas in Ethiopia already.

No more "apartheid." Jewish majority assured. Settlements can expand to meet demand. Jews worldwide will have unfettered access to holy sites in the West Bank.

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Gleaner1 • Oct 23, 2012 at 13:01

While the rest of the near East goes up in smoke together with it's Christian Arab populations, it's good to know there is a chance for a better life over the border. I don't see these people being a threat to Israel; after all, they too know persecution in the same places that the Jews had to leave years ago. No, any threat to Israel comes principally from inside with Arab Muslim demographics, but this is a problem for every Western country. Perhaps in time most will prefer to leave Israel and move to their intended homeland - Jordan.

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Grayone • Oct 23, 2012 at 10:25

They are using it as a way of infiltrating their sworn enemy. Don't believe them and don't let them in. They will do anything to kill Israel.

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Gary Katz

Grayone • Oct 24, 2012 at 16:53

Grayone, while that may be true for some applicants, the majority simply want to avoid having their lives ruined by submitting to the corrupt, totalitarian Palestinian Authority. Not every Palestinian is a warmongering fantic, you know. Ironically, even many of the warmongering fanatics still hate the PA and Hamas - not that their hatred does Israel any good.

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Sarah Williams

Gary Katz • Aug 25, 2014 at 04:39

I live in Jerusalem and work with and live among Jerusalem Palestinians. They are as varied in outlook at Israeli Jews. Few are slobbering fanatics, although those exist as do ultranationalist racist Jews. Try to keep some perspective here and quit judging people as an undifferentiated mass. There are many who take out Israeli citizenship because of the voting rights, the benefits and why not? Who wouldn't want to have a better life for themselves and their families? As for limitations on citizenship, I'm all for it -- citizenship should be earned, not automatic. Everyone at age 18 can opt for citizenship through three years of military service or national service. This applies to EVERYONE -- Arabs and Haredi Jews and socialist tsafonim in Tel Aviv alike. No service, no citizenship -- you remain a resident of Israel and if you move abroad for more than a year, you lose your residency and must re-apply. Israel can still be a refuge for persecuted Jews who will receive welcome here, so it changes nothing except it puts all citizens on equal footing.

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Batya Casper, Israelathebook.com • Oct 23, 2012 at 10:20

It is becoming increasingly clear to Israeli Palestinians - particularly to Palestinians who live in East Jerusalem, who are not subject to Palestinian or Hamas rule - that Israeli democracy is theirs for the taking. As terror increases around the world, Israeli Arabs are realizing that the Arab-Israeli conflict is a ploy engineered and fostered by a global fundamentalist Islamic ideology, and that Israel is not their enemy.

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Hend • Oct 23, 2012 at 06:47

One simple reason why Palestinians would rather have an Israeli citizenship: it's not because they want to be Israelis but simply because they want their lives to move on. They could travel inside and outside the country freely. Concerning the Palestinian leadership, can you deny that their failure is due to Israel's misleading behavior regarding settlement and negotiations?

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Potb

Hend • Oct 24, 2012 at 04:09

Palestinian leadership was a failure long before there was anything such as 'settlements.' They could have had peace decades ago if they had wanted to. Guess what? They don't want it. And they get away with it because they know that nobody is watching them. Having no peace at all is actually good business for them. Some Swiss banks are very lucky having such loyal clientele.

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