Palestinians get 'right to return' — to Jerusalem
The Israeli High Court of Justice ruled that Palestinian residents of Jerusalem cannot be permanently stripped of their residency rights after having lived elsewhere.
Al-Quds, the leading Palestinian daily, used bright red ink to highlight its March 17 headline. The Palestinian newspaper of record, published in East Jerusalem since 1951, did so to celebrate the March 16 decision by the Israeli High Court of Justice recognizing the “special” status of East Jerusalem Palestinians. “Jerusalemites ‘citizens by birth,’ not immigrants,” blared the headline.
The article that followed included extensive quotes from the court's unanimous decision requiring the reissuing of permanent residency to Akram Abdel Haqq, a 59-year-old Palestinian from Jerusalem who had left for the US decades prior. Upon returning to his hometown, he was told that he would have the same status as a tourist; that is, he no longer had residency rights.
