At Gisha’s request: COGAT publishes policies for travel via the Allenby Bridge Crossing in Arabic
January 8, 2013
On September 3, 2012, Gisha contacted to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) under the Freedom of Information Act 5758-1998, requesting the publication of the procedures regulating the entry and exit of Palestinian residents from the West Bank via the Allenby Bridge border crossing. On November 12, 2012, we received COGAT’s response, stating that all procedures relating to the entry and exit of Palestinians via Allenby Bridge would be posted on COGAT’s website.
Despite the fact that these procedures directly affect Palestinians, many of whom speak Arabic only, they were published only in Hebrew. We therefore contacted COGAT again on November 19, 2012, requesting the procedures be posted in Arabic as well and that policies affecting foreign nationals, who speak neither Hebrew nor Arabic, be posted in English.
Finally, on January 8, 2013, the procedures for the entry and exit of Palestinians via Allenby Bridge were posted on COGAT’s website in Arabic as well.
Gisha welcomes COGAT’s willingness to post travel policies. We hope that in future, any policy published on its website will be posted in Hebrew and Arabic and in English when it applies foreign nationals. In addition, we expect that all procedures that have already been posted on COGAT’s website in Hebrew only, also be translated into Arabic.
Related documents
Our letter dated November 19, 2011 to the official in charge of implementing the Freedom of Information Act at COGAT (Hebrew)
Procedures in Arabic for the entry and exit of Palestinian residents via Allenby Bridge on COGAT’s website
