At The Ministry of the Interior they've already divided Jerusalem
21 September 2000
This Monday, September 25 at 09:00 a.m., B'Tselem activists will hold an event at the East Jerusalem branch of the ministry of the Interior to protest the difficult conditions, the harsh regulations and the insulting and humiliating treatment.
During the event, water will be distributed to the residents waiting in the interminable line, mobile toilets will be set up for their use, protest banners will be waved, and information sheets on what occurs at the East Jerusalem Population Office will be distributed.
On the same day, the High Court of Justice will discuss a petition of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights regarding these condition.
Background
The Population Registry Office in East Jerusalem does not resemble the branch of the Ministry of the Interior in West Jerusalem or any other place in Israel. The physical conditions, the harsh and at times impossible regulations, the degrading and insulting attitude, all these are unknown to the majority of Israel's citizens.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel and the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights petitioned the High Court of Justice against the Minister of the Interior on this issue. The two organizations determine that the regulations, the services, and the physical conditions in place at the Population Registration Office in East Jerusalem are contrary to rules of fair procedure and good governance, and offend values of equality and human dignity.
The main problems at the Office of Population Registry in East Jerusalem:
- The public reception rooms at the office are small and unsuitable for the number of people they are supposed to serve. As a result, many residents are forced to wait outside the office for hours. Sometimes residents, including women, the elderly and small children, arrive long before the office opens at 8.00 a.m. in order to get a place in the queue.
- In addition, the office only works until 12:00, employing a small staff which cannot meet the demands of so many people.
- Those requesting services are forced to wait outside for hours on end, between two iron bars, and faced with a cage which is better fit for animals than for human beings.
- During the long wait, there are no toilets, water or a source of shade, not to mention air conditioning or the possibility of a seat.
- The office does not offer special access or an elevator for the disabled.
- The Ministry of the Interior demands that Palestinians submit typed application forms.
- Most forms, as well as informational notices, are solely in Hebrew and not in Arabic, even though a considerable number of residents don't read Hebrew, and despite the fact that Arabic is an official language of the State of Israel.
- In addition to all of the above and to other points made in the petition, in some cases, the Ministry clerks behave in a degrading, scornful, and patronizing fashion toward residents.
A comparison of the Population Registry Office in East and West Jerusalem
| Waiting Conditions | West Office | East Office |
| Cafeteria | Yes | No |
| Water fountain | Yes | No |
| Standing While Waiting | Rarely | Usually |
| Elevator | Yes | No |
| Disabled & stroller access | Yes | No |
| Services | West Office | East Office |
| Informational signs at the entrance | Yes | No |
| Option to file requests without waiting | Yes | No |
| Information Desk | Always staffed | Desk isn't staffed |
| Receive applications in the afternoon | Until recently, on Mon. and Wed., 08.00-18.00 Lately, on Mon. and Wed., 13.30-14.30 | No |
| Service for postal requests | Yes | Theoretically but not in practice |
| Blank forms at entrance | Yes | No |
| Staffed Desks | They are usually all staffed | Small hall: about half of the desks are permanently staffed; Large hall: they are not all permanently staffed |
The charts are from the petition to the High Court of Justice