Washington – The United States said on Monday it would be concerned if reports that Israel could revoke the travel rights of some Palestinians living in East Jerusalem were true.
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“If it was true it would certainly be of concern to us,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told a daily briefing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raised the possibility of revoking benefits and travel rights of some Palestinians living in East Jerusalem in response to a wave of Palestinian violence, a government official said on Monday.
Such a move is unlikely to overcome Israeli legal hurdles, but the very prospect has unnerved Palestinians in the city. The review comes after weeks of Israeli-Palestinian violence, much of it concentrated in east Jerusalem, the section of the city claimed by the Palestinians for their future capital. Many of the Palestinian attackers involved in deadly assaults came from east Jerusalem neighborhoods. Any move to change the status of the city’s Palestinians would threaten unleashing new unrest and draw international condemnations.
As residents, they enjoy freedom of movement, the right to work in Israel and access to Israeli social services and health care. But Palestinians claim that this status is fragile, noting that people can be stripped of residency if they leave the city for extended periods of time. Israeli rights groups, citing official Israeli statistics, say a total of about 14,000 Palestinians have lost residency rights since 1967.
y aren’t u concerned with the rhetoric, INCITEMENT, stabbings and TERRORISM coming from East Jerusalems Palestinians
Of course. I agree
How can Israel revoke travel rights for some suspected militant palestinians??
How else would they be CHA”V able to roam around the country stabbing, maiming and blowing up people!
Of course they need freedom of travel!
Israel is a free democratic country it cannot restrain potential suspected murderers!
What about the rights of Jews to walk safely in the eastern part of Jerusalem and their right to live there?
I guess Obama would like to see Israel model its border security after our fantastic system which has allowed 15-30 million illegals into the United States to live off the taxpayer’s dollar.
Palestinians, you better do something quick with Obama, because the next President could have an orthodox Jewish daughter or a Jewish son-in-law….hahaha.
Yes indeed, Obama, once again you’re “concerned” by any actions taken against your terrorist brethren; it’s so say that you have no such concern for their innocent Israeli victims!
If they cannot behave with civility, cage ’em.
Well I say this and here me loud and clear!
The US (meaning the guy sitting in the Oval Office) isn’t “Concerned with Israel safety so Israel shouldn’t give a hoot if the “U.S. Is concerned” Obamanation is a lame duck an obvious Jew hater he will go down in history as the worst president in us history!