Legal framework: Higher Education – Rights and Obligations under International and Israeli Law
May 2010. This position paper examines Israeli military legislation and court rulings concerning the travel of students between the West Bank and Gaza Strip and presents Israel’s obligations in this context under international law and the Oslo agreements. Read More »

Frequently Asked Questions: The Threat of Deportation from the West Bank and the New Order on the Prevention of Infiltration
On April 13, 2010. a new military order went into effect in the West Bank as an amendment to an existing order on “prevention of infiltration”. The following document answers questions on the meaning of the order, as far as can be understood from its language, from the procedures that preceded its amendment and from various statements by Israeli officials. Read More »

Restrictions and Removal: Israel’s double bind policy for Palestinians holders of Gaza IDs in the West Bank, November 2009
November 2009. Beginning in approximately 2003, Israel began to prohibit Palestinians whose registered address is in Gaza from being in the West Bank – even if they had been living in the West Bank for years. Thousands of Palestinians, whose registered address is in Gaza, live in hiding in the West Bank, and the unlucky ones are caught and removed to Gaza Read More »

Despite Israeli Permit, Lulav Exports from Gaza Blocked Again
October 2009. Due to Israel’s restrictions on exports from the Gaza Strip, lulav traders and growers in Gaza were once again denied their livelihood this year. Meanwhile, buyers of lulavs were forced to pay higher prices due to the decreased supply. Read More »

Red Lines Crossed: Destruction of Gaza’s Infrastructure
August 2009. This report describes how Israel’s closure policies brought critical humanitarian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip to a state of collapse in a gradual process: the weakening of infrastructure prior to the military operation; its bombing during the incursion; and the hindrance of efforts to properly repair it since then. Read More »

Submission of Human Rights Organizations based in Israel to the Goldstone Inquiry Delegation
June 2009. A document compiling the data of Gisha and six other Israeli human rights organizations which was sent to the Goldstone Committee charged with investigating claims of human rights violations committed during Operation Cast Lead. The document focuses on human rights violations for which Israel is responsible. Read More »

Obstacle Course: Students Denied Exit from Gaza
July 2009. Since June 2008, Israel has required that students who comply with its rigid screening criteria may only leave Gaza if escorted by a diplomatic envoy from the time they exit Gaza via the Erez Border Crossing, throughout their journey across Israel and the West Bank, and until they reach the Allenby Bridge border crossing into Jordan. Read More »

New Procedure – Israel bars Palestinians in Gaza from moving to West Bank
June 2009. This joint position paper by HaMoked – Center for the Defence of the Individual and Gisha describes a new procedure according to which Israel imposes strict criteria for relocation of residence from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, thereby erecting a new and virtually insurmountable obstacle between the two areas. Read More »

Rafah Crossing: Who holds the keys?
March 2009. A comprehensive study by Gisha and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel examining which parties are responsible for the closure of the Rafah Crossing as well as the ensuing rights violation that stem from the closure. The report presents the positions of the various parties involved, describes the degree to which they exercise control over Rafah and analyzes their legal responsibility. Read More »

Summary – Rafah Crossing: Who holds the keys?
March 2009. An abstract of a comprehensive report by Gisha and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel analyzing the various parties’ degree of control and responsibility for the Rafah Crossing and setting out recommendations to allow for the opening of the crossing. Read More »

Gaza Closure Defined: Collective Punishment, December 2008
December 2008. This position paper presents a concise description and legal analysis of the travel restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip since June 2007 and asserts that this is neither a siege nor an embargo, but rather an illegal closure resulting in collective punishment. Read More »

Frequently Asked Questions: Students trapped in Gaza
November 2008. The following document seeks to answer questions and common misperceptions about the situation of Palestinian students who are residents of the Gaza Strip and have been prevented from leaving in order to reach universities abroad by the policy of closure. Read More »