Israel admits having expelled from the occupied territories to a quarter of a million Palestinians

Israel denied the right of residence for more than 240,000 Palestinians in Gaza and the West Banksince its territories occupied in 1967 until the signing of the Oslo peace accords (1993), according to a hitherto secret information and that the Ministry of Defence has forced to provide an NGO by court order. "Some 140,000 and 108,000 West Bank Palestinians of Gaza have lost their residence permits, bureaucratic and administrative reasons . It is a clear violation of international law , which can be considered a form deportation, absolutely illegal, "said the agency Efe Ido Blum, head of legal department of the Israeli NGO Hamoked-Center for Defense of the Individual . To these figures must be added more than 14,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem residents who have lost their permit of residence since the beginning of Israeli occupation: a total of more than a quarter of a million people driven from their home. 

Figures secret

"These figures have been secret for a long time," said Blum, who added that his organization has obtained the following information to the courts claim based on the Freedom of Information Act . In May last year received the figures from the West Bank and this week received the fringe. In Gaza, the Israeli military authorities removed the residence permit about 45,000 Palestinians to be out of the territory for more than 7 years, another 55,000 not be present during the 1981 census and more than 7,000 for not being where it was seven years later. In the West Bank, missed the right of residence for being absent for three years , as students or workers traveling abroad were years later unable to return. "In 1994, after Oslo, was established a joint committee to address the Israeli-Palestinian returning residence permits, but did nothing, Israel would not let him work , "he Blum explained. On that date the revocation of permits ended in Gaza and the West Bank, while continuing to this day that of the Palestinians of East Jerusalem , whose residence permit is Israel, because Israel considers his half of the occupied city in 1967 and annexed to its territory in 1980.

15% of the Palestinian population

" They are a quarter million people in less than three decades, is a very high rate . involves the revocation of permits of at least 15% of the Palestinian population, which now has no way to recover their permits and return to their land. Many have made ​​the idea of always having to live abroad, "added Blum. Hamoked hoped that the dissemination of the figures make Israel "rethink the situation and take steps to correct" because the authorities retain the names of all concerned. Xavier Abu Aid spokeswoman Liberation Organization (PLO), considers that the revocation of permits are "just part of Israeli policy since 1948 Palestinian population displacement and replacement with settlers. " "The displacement of people in international law is a war crime and the PLO, in due course take the necessary measures with international mechanisms, "he added. Efe has tried unsuccessfully to get a reaction from the ministries Israeli defense and foreign to this information.