RAMALLAH (Dispatches) – All summer, Palestinians from the millions-strong diaspora have been flocking to the West Bank, fearful new rules by the Zionist regime expected to take effect next week could make future visits hard if not impossible.
Under the regulations, first published in February to a storm of protest, foreign passport holders -- including Palestinians living abroad -- will no longer be able to obtain visas on arrival and instead have to apply for them at least 45 days in advance.
The measures will place significant curbs on the ability of foreigners to study, volunteer or work in the West Bank, in a major blow to student exchange programs operated by the European Union among others.
In most cases foreigners will no longer be able to arrive via the Israeli-occupied territories’ main airport near Tel Aviv but only through the land crossing between Jordan and the West Bank, which was seized and occupied by the regime in 1967.
The new rulebook drafted by COGAT, the Zionist regime’s war ministry body responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, is expected to come into force on Monday after being delayed twice by legal challenges.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian lawyer Rasem Kamal said he has been inundated with clients from the diaspora wanting to register power of attorney amid deep uncertainty about arranging their affairs.
“Many people are rushing to come to the West Bank and finish their business here or give the power of attorney because they understand... there may be restrictions on their ability to visit,” he said.
The new rules will deprive “thousands of Palestinian families of the right to live together without interruption and to live a normal family life”, said HaMoked, the Israeli rights group that led the supreme court appeal against the measures.