The US State Department in Washington DC and the US Consulate in East Jerusalem have been following up on the current situation of US citizens denied entry in recent years. This is an excellent opportunity for us to alert US government representatives of the ongoing harm caused by Israel’s continued practice of entry denial on an arbitrary and unlawful basis.
While some individuals denied entry have, with great persistence and often at significant cost, managed to re-enter, we know that the majority of those denied entry have not been able to re-enter the oPt. Moreover, those who have been able to re-enter have often been issued visas of a short duration and, when these all too quickly expire, they have faced the difficult choice of exiting and again facing denial of entry or remaining in the oPt without a valid visa.
If you have been denied entry and have not yet been able to return or have faced harassment or discriminatory treatment at Israeli borders, please join us in challenging false claims by Israeli authorities that this issue has been resolved. We know that the issue continues to cause suffering and undue harm to numerous individuals and families. We need to hold the US Government and other third states responsible for putting an end to entry denials; this requires our documentation.
US government representatives are asking for evidence. Let’s give it to them. Let’s flood them with our stories!
We would like to compile as many stories as possible in the next 2 weeks so that we can send them to relevant US government officials en masse.
Please remember, that even if you prefer to remain unidentified, your unanimous story can make a valuable contribution to overall statistics from which we can establish trends and report impact. We are committed to respecting all requests for confidentiality.
What to do:
1. If you have not already done so, file a report with the Campaign regarding your denial(s) of entry. Click here for the form: http://www.righttoenter.ps/ReportYourCase.php?mid=16&sid=18
If you have trouble downloading the form, let us know and we will forward it to you as an attachment.
2. If you have not already filed a report on all your entry denials, please consider doing so. You can send the US Consulate your denial of entry report using this form: http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov/uploads/images/1EEiY6hT_ExE9IqokfOl9g/AllenbyDenialForm.pdf
If you have trouble downloading the form, let us know and we will forward it to you as an attachment.
Or, if you prefer, we would be happy to forward your report, if you send it to us. (For reasons of confidentiality, we will only do this if you specifically request us to do so.)
3. Update the Campaign and relevant US government representatives on whether you have managed to re-enter or not.
–If you’ve attempted to return, let us know if you’ve been successful or not.
–Provide a full description of the impact entry denial has had and/or continues to have on your life, that of your family and the ability you have to contribute to the social and economic development of the oPt.
–If you haven’t tried, let us know why and under what conditions you might try to return
If you prefer, we can forward your story to the US Consulate in East Jerusalem and other relevant government officials. (Again, for reasons of confidentiality, we will only do this at your specific request.)
4. Assist us in compiling stories and encourage/help friends and family members who have been denied entry to take the above steps.
The successful return of individuals previously denied entry and the unhindered entry of others is made possible by organized civic action involving a broad alliance of concerned individuals and organizations within the Palestinian, Israeli and international communities. We need to double our efforts to put an end to Israel’s denial of entry policy. Random and piecemeal “alleviation” of the unlawful practice of entry denial is no substitute for its abolition.
If you wish to contact US representatives directly, please consider sending your story to:
1) Mr Jake Walles, US Consul General, US Consulate, East Jerusalem
jerusalemacs@state.gov
2) Ms Angie C Smith, Assistant to the Consul General, US Consulate East Jerusalem
SmithAC2@state.gov
3) JerusalemACS@state.gov
4) Your relevant congressional representatives.
5) To help the Campaign’s advocacy efforts on this issue, please also cc or forward your correspondence to info@righttoenter.ps
As another year gets under way and Israel persists in arbitrarily deny entry and in discriminatory treatment against those attempting to enter or stay in the oPt, we need to call on our government representatives to demand an end to Israel’s persistent violations of international law.
Together we can defeat this policy. Act now! Send your stories by 12 February.