[The following press release was published by the Love in the Time of Apartheid campaign on 23 April 2013.]
The Israeli apartheid regime, which calls itself a “democracy”, has extended the racist Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order) for the thirteenth time in 11 years, disregarding the suffering of tens of thousands of Palestinian families
On 14 April 2013 the occupation and apartheid government of the State of Israel extended the racist Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order) for the eleventh year in a row.
Today, Monday 22 April 2013, the Israeli parliament ratified the extension of the law for the thirteenth time since 2003. The law disregards the suffering of tens of thousands of Palestinian families, who are denied their most basic rights, such as the right to lead a dignified family life under one roof. It also marks the Israeli apartheid and occupation regime’s complete disregard for United Nations resolutions. Several UN bodies condemned the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order) for violating international law, in particular the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR),[1] the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),[2] and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) [3]. The UN Human Rights Committee, for example, explicitly called in 2003 and in 2010 for revoking this law [4]. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) also called several times for revoking this racist law [5]. (Details of the law’s infringement of the precepts of international law and various statements of condemnation by international bodies are in the legal annex).
The racist and arbitrary Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order) prevents Palestinian families from leading a dignified family life and enjoying their social, civil, and other rights. The law was approved by the Israeli government in 2002 as a Temporary Suspension Order, and was then approved by the Israeli Knesset; it was amended several times, while several appeals presented by several legal and human rights organizations to the Israeli Supreme Court were rejected. Most recently, on 11 January 2012, the Israeli Supreme Court reemphasized (Resolution 466/07) the “constitutionality” of this law, which was described as “racist” by international law experts from several countries around the world.
The “Love in the Time of Apartheid” campaign is an inseparable part of the Palestinian people’s struggle against Israeli occupation and apartheid, which violates our human dignity on a daily basis. Therefore, we call upon the Palestinian people to oppose this racist law by all possible means, the most important of which is the deepening of the social, national, familial, and cultural bonds between all of our people wherever they may be, irrespective of our place of residence and the type of documentation that we are forced to carry. The campaign also calls upon Palestinian civil society institutions to mobilize, each with its own resources, in opposition to this law on the popular and international levels.
In order for Palestinian love not to remain a hostage to Israeli occupation and apartheid, the campaign calls upon international human rights and civil society organizations as well as all people of conscience all over the world to work to hold Israel accountable and to isolate it in all regional and international forums until this racist law is repealed, and in addition, until Israel complies with International Law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
We also appreciate the response of writers and journalists, locally and internationally, who will join us during the coming week in stirring public opinion both locally and internationally with regards to this law, and in exposing the policies of the government and parliament of the Israeli apartheid state. We salute the most recent mobilization of several political forces, civil society institutions, and activists in this respect. We see this diverse collective local and international effort as an important step towards uniting our voices in isolating Israel internationally until it repeals the racist Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order).
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[1] International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (adopted 16 December 1966 UNGA Res2200(XXI) (ICESCR) art 10(1).
[2] Convention on the Rights of the Child (adopted 20 November 1989, entered into force 2 September 1990) 1577 UNTS 3 (CRC) art 10(1). OHCHR paper notes that Committee on Rights of Child’s recommendations point to an interpretation of this provision towards family reunification.
[3] Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (adopted 18 December 1979, entered into force 3 September 1981) 1249 UNTS 13 (CEDAW) art 15(4)).
[4] Human Rights Committee ‘Concluding Observations of the Human Rights Committee (21 August 2003) UNDoc CCPR/CO/78/ISR, paras.21, 22.
[5] Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination ‘Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’ (March 2007) UN Doc CERD/ISR/CO/13, para. 20.