IDF lets Israeli visit wife in Gaza, but must stay 3 months

[newyorican]

An Israeli Arab married to a Gazan is allowed to visit a spouse if they stay in Gaza and don't return home for a minimum period of three months, under new regulations issued by Southern Command Maj. Gen. Dan Harel.

Since March 22, when the IDF killed Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, all family visits to Gaza have been frozen. The new regulation became known early this week to Dr. Ibrahim Ashur, a pediatrician born in Haifa who works in Be'er Sheva. His Gaza-born wife, and their children, live in Gaza.

<snip>

After the April 17 assassination of Abdel Aziz Rantisi he was told to "wait" some more, and then even the Final Four basketball competition was mentioned as a reason for not getting passes.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/423649.html

[newyorican]

1. A choice between work or family

Dr. Ibrahim Ashur, a native of Haifa, is an anesthesiologist who works in Be'er Sheva. His wife, a native of Gaza, lives in Gaza with their children. Their request for "family reunification" has yet to receive final approval, even though their children are registered on his Israel identity card. In other words, his wife is not presently entitled to live with him in Be'er Sheva. They can only see each other in Gaza, and therefore, are dependent on Israel's Coordination and Liaison Office (CLO) in the Gaza Strip, which issues, or does not issue, entry permits to Israelis with family in Gaza.

<snip>

There will not be any calming of the security situation anytime in the near future. The IDF and the CLO are well aware of this. The new directive substantially widens the margins of discrimination against Israel's Arab citizens. Even if it is rescinded soon, even if it is made less rigid, the directive has to raise concerns. The mere fact that it was thought up gives an indication of the degree to which the authorities in Israel perceive Arab citizens as being much less than citizens.

<snip>

As the occupying power, the IDF is the supreme sovereign in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, and as such, the IDF issues injunctions and regulations that apply to the Palestinians in the territories (and on Israelis entering the territories). But with this new regulation, the IDF has gone one step further: it permits itself to determine the length of the period that citizens will remain outside its borders, and as a result, will be forced to suspend their ordinary lifestyle. Only because they are Arabs. Thus, the IDF has annexed its jurisdiction to include Arab-Israeli citizens, placing them in the category of occupied subjects whose basic human rights are restricted.

<snip>

Harming the right of Arab-Israelis and Palestinians to a family life - as opposed to the right of Jewish-Israelis - is not news, but the discrimination also cries out from another angle. When Israel occupied the territories in 1967, it also enabled Arab citizens of Israel to develop and renew contacts that existed before 1948. Israel's governments are responsible for the human repercussions their policies have caused over the years. This perception guides attitudes toward the settlers. Israel's governments also bear a responsibility, then, to respect the rights of its Arab citizens - whose lives have been shaped by the occupation of the territories - including the right to see their families regularly without it becoming a writ of expulsion, albeit temporary, from the state.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/423660.html

If this is democracy then Sharon *is* a man of peace.