The Israeli authorities have revoked almost all of the travel permits for civilian employees of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, Anadolu reported on Wednesday. The media officer of the interior ministry told the agency that only 4 out of 35 employees are still able to travel through the Erez Crossing.
Mohamed Al-Maqadmeh explained that the PA officials with permits usually accompany Palestinians from Gaza who are given permission to cross via Erez for medical or study purposes, or elderly persons making a visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque. “Revoking this number of travel permits will have a negative effect on the work of the civil servants,” he added.
However, a source in Israel told Anadolu that the policy regarding the issue of travel permits through Erez Crossing has not changed. “The Israeli Shin Bet [internal security agency] investigates each permit application intensively and cancels many of them,” the source insisted.
Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem need prior permission from the Israeli occupation authorities before they are allowed to move from one part of the occupied Palestinian territories to another.