Palestine: Date that the Palestinian National Authority was allowed to issue passports; earliest date the passports would have been issued; whether the passport is laminated
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 2 December 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PAL33141.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Palestine: Date that the Palestinian National Authority was allowed to issue passports; earliest date the passports would have been issued; whether the passport is laminated, 2 December 1999, PAL33141.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad741c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to three representatives of human rights organizations working in the PNA-controlled areas and in Jerusalem, the PNA received the authority to issue passports following the agreement signed in Washington on 28 September 1995 (29 Nov. 1999; 1 Dec. 1999; 1 Dec. 1999). The agreement, called the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and sponsored by the United States, Russia, Egypt, Norway, and the European Union, incorporates and supersedes the previous agreements and marked the conclusion of the first stage of negotiations between Israel and the PLO (ibid.). The sources stated that the PNA, which issue passports from the Gaza Strip, started to issue passports in November 1995 (ibid.). The passport is a green booklet that contains 48 pages (24 actual pages) with the page numbers written in Latin numbers at the bottom right for the pages on the right, and bottom left for left pages (ibid.). Only the first page of the passport is laminated (ibid.). No changes to the format have been introduced since 1995 (ibid.).
According to Shaml, a newsletter published by The Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Centre, an independent non-governmental association, dedicated to Palestinian refugees and the Diaspora,
The Under-Secretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, Mr. Ahmed Sayid Al-Tamimi, declared that Palestinian passports have become a reality in the international diplomatic community.
At a press conference held in Gaza on Friday, November 17th, 1995, Al-Tamimi announced that, so far, 40,000 Palestinian passports had been printed. Now that the Ministry of the Interior has taken responsibility in the West Bank, he added, it will begin to distribute passports to West Bank residents (Dec. 1995).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Al-Haq-Law in the Service of Man, Ramallah, Palestine. 1 December 1999. Telephone interview with representative. Al-Haq, the West Bank affiliate of the Geneva-based The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), is a Palestinian human rightsorganization which was founded in 1979 by Palestinian lawyers concerned with the protection and promotion of the principles of human rights and the rule of law.
Badil, The Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, Bethlehem, Palestine. 29 November 1999. Telephone interview with Director.
Hamoked, The Center for the Defense of the Individual, Jerusalem. 1 December 1999. Telephone interview with the Director. HaMoked (formerly Hotline for Victims of Violence) is an Israeli organization founded in 1988 to defend human rights in the occupied territories. It has provided assistance to several thousand Palestinian victims of violence, human rights abuses and bureaucratic harassment. HaMoked registers complaints and follows through on them through administrative and legal channels until the matter is successfully resolved. In addition to its individual assistance, HaMoked advocates for human rights at the policy level.
Shaml. December 1995. "The Distribution of New Palestinian Passports to West Bank Residents." < http://www.shaml.org/publications/news1.htm > [Accessed on 28 Nov. 1999]. The Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Centre was established in 1994, by a group of concerned academics and human rights activists who felt the need to examine issues pertaining to Palestinian refugees in a broad perspective which takes into consideration relevant experiences in other parts of the world.