The Israeli Knesset extended for another year the Citizenship and Entry Law, which prohibits issuing entry permits to Israel under the family reunification application.
Commenting on the extension, a Palestinian official said this is the ninth year in a row that Israel extends the ban.
The spokesman for the Palestinian Civil Affairs Commission, Waleed Wahdan, said the Israeli authorities’ refusal to reunite thousands of Palestinian families is a political decision, even though the issue is humanitarian.
Read: Israel rejects Palestinian ‘family unification’ requests
In an interview with Quds Press, Wahdan said since 2008 Israel has been rejecting reunification applications for Palestinian families submitted to the Civil Affairs Authority despite the ongoing pressure being exerted on the Israeli side to re-activate the law due to its vital importance for Palestinians.
He pointed out that the Civil Affairs Authority receives daily requests for family members who want to be reunited with their families.
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