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American-Palestinian family was separated by force at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Steve Yacoub, the children's father, owns a convenience store in Lakeland. He is a native of Palestine, but has been an American citizen for about 30 years.
On Aug. 18, as they tried to return home, Israeli security officials told the children their father's Palestinian heritage disqualified them from traveling as American citizens, Wedad Yacoub said.
They would not allow Wedad Yacoub (the mother) and 10 of her children to board the flight.
She was forced to choose between remaining in Palestine with the children or return with the three youngest, leaving the other seven behind.
"I begged them. I was crying, the kids were crying. I was very angry," Wedad Yacoub said Wednesday.
Finally, after arranging for the older children to be picked up by relatives and hoping they would follow in a few days, she flew home with her children, ages 10, 5 and 3.
The others, ranging in age from 11 to 22, were driven back to their grandmother's home in Ramallah, where they remain caught in a bureaucratic and political tangle.
Here is the complete story (Hat tip: Robin)
Lakeland Family Separated By Rules at Airport in Israel
7 children, declared Palestinians, must stay.
By Cary McMullen , The Ledger
LAKELAND | The summer wasn't supposed to end like this for the family of Steve and Wedad Yacoub.The Lakeland family was separated on Aug. 18 at an Israeli airport as they attempted to return home from a summer visiting relatives in Palestine.
Although the Yacoubs are naturalized U.S. citizens and all their children were born in America, Israeli officials told them they had been designated Palestinian citizens.
They would not allow Wedad Yacoub and 10 of her children to board the flight.
She was forced to choose between remaining in Palestine with the children or return with the three youngest, leaving the other seven behind.
"I begged them. I was crying, the kids were crying. I was very angry," Wedad Yacoub said Wednesday.
Finally, after arranging for the older children to be picked up by relatives and hoping they would follow in a few days, she flew home with her children, ages 10, 5 and 3.
The others, ranging in age from 11 to 22, were driven back to their grandmother's home in Ramallah, where they remain caught in a bureaucratic and political tangle. The family says the U.S. State Department has told them there is little they can do.
At a news conference Wednesday in Tampa, officials with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil-rights group, said the Yacoubs have only two options: continue to press U.S. government officials to persuade Israel to allow the children to leave, or to send them home through Amman, Jordan, a lengthy and expensive process.
Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the council's Tampa chapter, said Continental Airlines has rebooked reservations for the children today at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, but that is where they were denied permission to return, and the family is not hopeful they will be allowed to depart.
"They hate it so much. They are crying on the phone every day, 'I want to come back,'" said Wedad Yacoub.
The Yacoub family is well-known in North Lakeland, where four children graduated from Lake Gibson High School and two currently are enrolled there. Another two are enrolled at Lake Gibson Middle School.
"They're good kids, excellent students, all honors-level," said Ralph Gilchrest, principal of Lake Gibson High.
"They're very easy to get along with. They follow the rules, they're mannerly and involved with their school."
Ramy Yacoub, 18, graduated from Lake Gibson in May. He was on the school's wrestling team.
A teammate, Brent Jorge, said he and Ramy would go fishing and see movies together. He said he thought it was "ridiculous" his friend had not been allowed to come home.
"He's American to everyone here. His skin is different, but he's just like everyone else," Jorge said.
Steve Yacoub, the children's father, owns a convenience store in Lakeland. He is a native of Palestine, but has been an American citizen for about 30 years.
As they have each summer for the past four years, in June the Yacoub family traveled to Palestine to visit relatives. They were admitted entry into Palestine through Israel on three-month visas, said Wedad Yacoub. This year, the visit included weddings. Twin brothers Ibrahim and Yacoub Yacoub, 22, got married in Ramallah in July.
There was a hint of problems to come when Steve Yacoub, traveling separately, was denied entry. He was forced to return to the United States and enter the Palestinian territory through Jordan.
The Yacoub's eldest child, a daughter, Palestine Yacoub, who is pregnant, was also turned away and chose not to make the trip.
On Aug. 18, as they tried to return home, Israeli security officials told the children their father's Palestinian heritage disqualified them from traveling as American citizens, Wedad Yacoub said.
A new rule was adopted by Israel in March, stating that citizens of other countries who are of Palestinian heritage may be designated as Palestinian residents and forced to leave the country through Jordan, even if they possess round-trip airline tickets and, as in the Yacoubs' case, U.S. passports. For the Yacoubs, that means an 18-hour wait at a border checkpoint, forfeiting their return-trip tickets and buying new tickets at a cost of about $16,000.
Bedier, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the family was told the problem could be solved if they signed a paper renouncing their Palestinian heritage and all future intention to become Palestinian citizens.
The Yacoubs immediately contacted U.S. State Department officials, who were sympathetic, but told the family it was Israeli policy.
Bedier said his organization had sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Aug. 29, urging her intervention.
"Our organization has received a rise in complaints over the summer from folks traveling in the West Bank as far as unfair treatment by the Israeli authorities, either on their way in or out. … We find that this treatment is unacceptable, that no American citizen should be subjected to this kind of humiliation. We're puzzled by the double standard in the treatment," he said.
Ariel Roman, director of media affairs for the Israeli Consulate General in Miami, said his office was awaiting information from the Israeli government but offices there were closed for the night.
Keith Rupp, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, who has been working with the Yacoub family, said Wednesday that according to information from the State Department, the Israelis were holding fast to their policy, which they ascribed to "rising violence" in the Palestinian territory.
"We're not quite sure how they arrived at this decision. … Our goal is to see an American family reunited," he said.
Rupp said the State Department posted a notice to travelers on its Web site about the new policy, then issued an enhanced warning in July, but the Yacoubs said they had no hint the rules had changed and had never encountered difficulty traveling to Palestine before.
The Yacoubs said they will not wait much longer to find a way to get their children home.
"I can't wait. I need my kids back," said Steve Yacoub Wednesday. "They're missing school, they're missing everything."
[ Ledger correspondent Sarah Stegall contributed to this report. Cary McMullen can be reached at cary.mcmullen@theledger.com or 863-802-7509. His blog, Scriptorium: A Religion Panorama, can be read at religion.theledger.com. ]
Last modified: September 06. 2007 5:59PM
Watch Yacoub family press conference here!
{ 4 } Comments
When speaking to the writer of this article, Cary McMullen, he told me that when this story was published he recieved a call from another Palestinian gentleman in the Lakeland area that this had occured to. He also said that he was sure this is happening to others, and he is correct, it is, due to a new "rule" issued by Israel.
Update: The family has arrived home, all but one son who stayed behind: read here http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wusf/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1144134§ionID=1 Note the last sentence: " The Israeli law that delayed the family mandated that those who were detained get Palestinian IDs meaning Israel will no longer recognize their US Citizenship." In other words, Israel is saying there is no redress to your country of citizenship in which you reside, you are now a Palestinian just like all the other Palestinians whom we OCCUPY and control should you decide to come here.
The US State Department has a travel warning which can be found here http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1064.html
Within that warning it will be stated, that this "rule" applies to the spouses and children of anyone born in the Occupied Territories, WHETHER OR NOT that individual was born there themselves. All of the Yacoub children were born in the United States and are American citizen children of AMERICAN citizens (both parents are American citizens) But the father was born in the West Bank. Personally, I am 100% convinced that this "rule" was set in place in order to be able to treat ALL Palestinians, REGARDLESS of citizenship, in the same exact HORRENDOUS fashion they do those Palestinians living in the occupied territories should they decide to travel there. And what has the US State Department said? NOTHING. Israel with utter impunity can get away with treating American Palestinians who travel there HOWEVER THEY WISH. But this law applies to ALL Palestinians, REGARDLESS of citizenship.
Read from the US State Department Warning:
The West Bank: On March 4, 2007, the Government of Israel published a new West Bank visitor visa policy for foreign nationals. The regulations are new, and the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem and the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv are still gathering information about their implementation. The new policy states that the following are permitted foreign visitor categories:
Spouses of resident Palestinians registered in the West Bank population registry;
Children (up to age 16) of resident Palestinians;
Business people, investors, and bearers of West Bank work permits;
Staff of foreign missions in the West Bank
Representatives of international organizations in the West Bank;
Lecturers and consultants; an
Humanitarian cases; and others
According to the written policy, American citizens “may transit to the West Bank via Israel after showing documents at the Ben Gurion airport or Allenby Bridge [crossing between the West Bank and Jordan] that confirm their status/position and the purpose of their visit, subject to inspection and approval by a representative of the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories.”
For extensions of visas of American citizens in the West Bank, the Government of Israel’s policy states:
“The following categories may request to extend their visa after the initial period for an additional period of up to one year (and no longer than 27 months total)”:
Spouses of resident Palestinians registered in the West Bank population registry
Children up to the age of 16 of resident Palestinians
Businesspersons/investors/bearers of a working permit for the West Bank
Humanitarian cases and others
In order to extend the visa, they must apply to the Palestinian Population Registry in Ramallah. In special cases, they should turn to the Population Registry of the Israeli Ministry of Interior in Beit-El.
The following categories may request an extension of their visa after the initial period for an additional period of up to 6 months (and no longer than a total of 27 months:
Staff of foreign missions in the West Bank
Representatives of international organizations in the West Bank.
In order to extend the visa, they must apply to the Head of the International Organization Department in the Israeli Civil Administrationat Beit El or to the Population Registry of the Israeli Ministry of Interior.”
Finally, the Government of Israel policy notes:
“Foreign citizens whose passports were stamped recently with the words "Last Permit" in the recent months may nonetheless leave the West Bank and submit a new visa request. The arrangements set out in this document are subject to imperative considerations of policy and security as may be applicable in Entry of individuals into Israel and the West Bank remains subject to security/criminal assessment by the relevant authorities.”
U.S. citizens who have a Palestinian Authority ID number or who the Government of Israel considers to have residency status in the West Bank or Gaza are advised to read very carefully the next section, entitled Palestinian-Americans.
Palestinian Americans: Israeli authorities may consider American citizens to be residents of the West Bank or Gaza if they were born there, lived there, or have a Palestinian Authority ID number. It is possible that an American citizen born in the United States whose parents were born or lived in the West Bank or Gaza would be considered a resident by Israeli authorities.
The Government of Israel requires residents of the West Bank or Gaza to present a valid Palestinian Authority passport when entering or leaving Israel. This requirement applies to American citizens considered by the Government of Israel to be resident in the West Bank or Gaza. American citizens resident in the West Bank or Gaza who arrive at any Israeli border point without a Palestinian passport will usually be granted permission to travel to the West Bank or Gaza to obtain one.
Individuals with a Palestinian Authority identity number, including American citizens, who depart Israel via the Allenby Bridge (between the West bank and Jordan) or the Rafah border check point (between Gaza and Egypt) are required to re-enter through either Allenby or Rafah border check points. They are not permitted to enter Israel through Ben Gurion International Airport, unless they obtain in advance a transit permit for that purpose. Permit applications must be submitted at least three working days prior to departure, although Israeli authorities may take considerably longer to render a decision. Except in humanitarian or special interest cases, Israeli authorities are unlikely to grant this permit. In the event a permit is denied, individuals with a Palestinian Authority identity number, including American citizens, must exit the West Bank via the crossing at Allenby Bridge into Jordan and from Gaza via the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Specific questions may be addressed to the nearest Israeli Embassy or Consulate or, within Israel, the nearest office of the Ministry of the Interior. During periods of heightened security restrictions, American citizens with residency status in the West Bank or Gaza might not be allowed to enter or exit Gaza or the West Bank at all, even with an American passport.
Israel-Jordan Crossings: International crossing points between Israel and Jordan are the Arava crossing (Wadi al-'Arabah) in the south, near Eilat, and the Jordan River crossing (Sheikh Hussein Bridge) in the north, near Beit Shean. American citizens using these two crossing points to enter either Israel or Jordan need not obtain prior visas, but will have to pay the following fees:
Jordan River Crossing: Israeli exit fee of 68 NIS/US $15, Jordanian entry fee 5 Jordanian dinars
Arava crossing: exit fee of 68 NIS/US $15, entry fee of 5 Jordanian dinars
Visas should be obtained in advance for those wanting to cross the Allenby Bridge between Jordan and the West Bank. (Note: The Government of Israel requires that Palestinian Americans with residency status in the West Bank enter Jordan via the Allenby Bridge). Procedures for all three crossings into Jordan are subject to frequent changes. Persons with residency status in the West Bank or Gaza seeking to cross the Allenby Bridge from Jordan should contact the Jordanian authorities for information concerning special clearance procedures for Palestinian ID holders before traveling to the bridge. See our Foreign Entry Requirements brochure for more information on Israel, the West Bank and Gaza and other countries. Visit the Embassy of Israel website at: http://www.israelemb.org/ for the most current visa information.
In the case of the Yacoub family, the mother and children WERE allowed in through Ben Gurion but not allowed out til they agreed to take the identity card. They eventually exited through Jordan but were STILL forced to take the card in order to exit.
They are thinking TWICE about going back anytime soon
Interview with the children: http://www.theledger.com/article/20070908/NEWS/709080444/1039
thanks sabbah and Robin for the info.
the israeli tactics and regulations are brilliantly designed to, among other things, discourage Palestinians abroad from visiting the territories.
Bedier, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the family was told the problem could be solved if they signed a paper renouncing their Palestinian heritage and all future intention to become Palestinian citizens.
That's my State Department! Entirely willing to sit by while a family of its own citizens is extorted by the Israeli government to give up an internationally-guaranteed right of return.
Now that the precedent has been set, I can fully see a country with whom the US is on shaky diplomatic relations arresting an American and then turning around and saying, "Sorry! We don't recognize your right to intervene, since we don't consider this person to be an American citizen." This is an abrogation by the State Department of its duty to do what it is supposed to for Americans in trouble abroad, and just because the US daren't disassociate itself in the slightest way from Israel.
It's infuriating.
This is harrasment from Israel's part of Palestinian expats into renouncing Palestinian citizenship.
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