Jerusalem24 – The Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein Al-Sheikh, announced yesterday that 5,500 applications for family reunification had been approved by Israeli authorities.
Foreign spouses of Palestinians, as well as Palestinians without an Israeli-issued identification number, must apply for family reunification to be granted a Palestinian ID.
It is common across Palestine for members of the same family to have a different ID status, leading to certain family members being separated for years. Many Palestinians have waited decades for their ID status to be clarified by Israeli authorities.
The PA released a first batch of 4,000 approved names this morning, and a further 345 this afternoon. However, no mention has been made of the remaining 1,165.
The PA announced that the General Authority for Civil Affairs in all governorates would remain open throughout Wednesday to deliver the approval letters to those who qualified.
