View more on
Precarious Status
View more topics under
Status, Voice, and Governance
Graphic

Want to Visit Palestinians in the West Bank? Here’s What Might Happen

In October, 2022, Israel began to regulate entry to the West Bank based on new restrictions. This graphic illustrates the regulations as they were written, and how they treat a few categories of internationals seeking to enter the West Bank to be with Palestinians.

Credit: 

Jerusalem Story

On October 20, 2022, new “procedures for entry and residence of foreigners living in the Judea and Samaria Area” took effect that dramatically stifle foreign passport holders’ ability to travel to the occupied West Bank—even if they have family or business there—if they are associating with Palestinians.

These regulations isolate Palestinians holding Palestinian Authority (PA) IDs living outside the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem in the West Bank, preventing them from enjoying the right to family, education, healthcare, a normal economy, access to expertise from the outside world, and more. They also sharply limit the ability of Palestinian organizations in the West Bank to benefit from international engagement, including from Palestinians holding foreign passports.

The graphic aims to elucidate how these regulations would play out in the lives of real people wishing to travel to the West Bank for a variety of reasons, both personal and professional. The end result is that whether in the short or long term, all are ultimately denied entry. 

The cases underscore the reality that the new procedures are part of Israeli policies designed to push Palestinians out, limiting Palestinian demographic growth and achieving Israel’s aim of controlling the West Bank permanently through demographic hegemony.