Two Israeli rights groups; Hamoked and B'tselem in their joint report, have accused Israel of making Palestinians ""illegal aliens"" in their own land by forcing West Bank residents originally from Gaza to move back to the Strip.

A new Israeli policy, in effect since November 2007, is deepening the separation between the West Bank and Gaza by dividing Palestinian families up, in violation of international law and during the year military has taken active measures to force the expelling and relocation, said the report.
Under “The new permit regime”, Gazans must take special permits to continue living in the West Bank. The permits are valid for three months periods and very rigid criteria must be obtained. For example marriage to a West Banker does not guarantee getting a permit, the report said.
According to the report; Palestinians wishing to enter Gaza are required to sign an agreement to never turn back to the West Bank. Therefore the only way to reunite the divided families is for people living in the West Bank to move to Gaza ""with no possibility of returning to the West Bank.”
The groups also pointed out that Gaza residents who want to travel to the West Bank for medical treatment, family visits, etc are required to pay some deposit money to guarantee they will return.
Israeli officials responded to the accusations by claiming that the Hamas takeover of Gaza and the group's refusal to recognize previous peace accords are the real reason for the constraints, since Israel considers the West Bank and Gaza as parts of a future Palestinian state.
Within Israel, policies of its government are often subjected to criticism by many human rights. These human rights organizations’ reports, although do not have an impact on government policies, are important at least for two reasons.
First, they demonstrate that there is not a uniform stand against the Palestinian issue within Israel, although the broad image is that the peoples, the civil society and the government of Israel all share a holy ideal of expelling the Palestinians from “the Jewish lands”.
Second, the media, in general, reflects the assumptions and causes of the powerful side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which is Israel, needless to say. These reports, come out inside the Israeli state, are lighting up the issue for the world, even for the prejudiced Israeli public.
B'Tselem; The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories was established in 1989 by academics, journalists, and Knesset members, aiming at informing and educating the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in “the Occupied Territories”. Similarly, Hamoked, Center for the Defense of the Individual was established in 1988, pursuing the same objectives.
(Source: turkishweekly.net)