For many long years, families and individuals living in West Bank have been unable to move and live normally and peacefully for not having a Palestinian identity or passport.

Those families, who were living in different countries all around the world before they came back to the Palestinian lands, submitted several applications to the official institutions to receive the family reunion, which forbids them from their rights to travel, move, or to get hired.

Days ago, they launched a series of campaigns and protests under the slogan "family reunion is my right" as they headed to the human rights organizations, international commissions, and official institutions to interfere and help them receive their family reunions.

The families sent many letters to the government and the Civil Affairs Commission asking for their right to having identification cards.

Life of deprivation 

Alaa Mutair, who came from Jordan to Ramallah 10 years ago, said that she has been trying to reunite with her family and children since 2007.

She could not leave Ramallah for 10 years as she is afraid of being caught and returned to Jordan as a standard punishment for those who move without an identification card.

"I have been living in a semi-prison place for 10 years. I can not visit my relatives nor can I move between cities because of the restrictions which may get me fired," Mutair said.

She added, "people usually dream to buy a car or a home, but for me, I only want to see my family."

A while ago, she needed to conduct a medical operation in Jerusalem, but she could not for not having an identity card. Hence, she had to go to a special hospital and do the operation at her expense.

Mutair went to human rights organizations and International Red Cross to help her get the reunion, but all is in vain.

Rania Al-Zaraie: she moved from Jordan to Bethlehem in 2012.

"I went out of Bethlehem for the first time 9 years ago when I took part in a protest held in front of the Civil Affairs Commission, noting that she was feeling afraid of the Israel restrictions all along the road.

Al-Zaraie is deprived of having a bank account so she can send and receive money as well as deprived of driving a car and applying for jobs.

She tried hard to be able to sign for the elections. She moved between official circles to have the permission to sign by her Jordanian passport.

"What makes me suffer the most is that I cannot see my family. I only talk to hem via social media," she said.

The Response

Hussain Al-Sheikh, head of the General Authority of Civil Affairs of the Palestinian Authority, called on the legislative and humanitarian organizations to activie the case of family reunion in order to put pressure on the Israeli occupation government regarding this matter.

Al-Sheikh expressed his readiness to provide a strong argument for the local and international legislative organizations regarding this issue, considering it a part of the agreements signed between Israel and Palestinian Authority.