DENIED | A 2015 Report by PHRI on Medical Entry Permits

Analyzing data on medical permit denials, this report is the first in a series on freedom of movement and Palestinian medical care.

In 2015, PHRI published its first report in a series entitled Denied. The report exposes Israel’s arbitrary policy of denying exit permits to Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) seeking medical care unavailable locally, even in cases where failing to receive treatment would be life-threatening. Such practices amount to serious violations of human rights, primarily the right to health. Denied summarizes a year of PHRI’s activities involving monitoring, accompanying and representing Palestinian applicants seeking medical treatment outside their region of residence.

The report identifies trends in the granting and denying of permits, including decisions that are based on policy grounds, as opposed to focusing on the patient’s medical needs. In 2013, 20% of the 250,000 applications for health-related exit permits were either denied or delayed, illustrating the ease with which Israel denies Palestinians’ basic right to health and life. PHRI was successful in overturning denials in 47.5% of the cases in which it intervened, highlighting that in almost half of these cases the denials were unjustifiably made, even by Israel’s own security standards. Israel systematically rejects health-related permits based on considerations such as age and gender rather than an individual examination the patient’s medical condition. The report also tackles the issue of abusive ISA (Israeli Security Agency) procedures, which patients seeking permits regularly experience. PHRI was successful in changing two policies as a part of its advocacy work in 2014: (1) the District Coordination and Liaison Office (DCL) at Erez Checkpoint now handles patient applications from displaced Palestinians who had left the Territory in 1967 and returned later, which had previously not been received at all, and (2) fathers are now allowed to accompany their partners in cases where childbirth takes place outside their area of residence. In addition to discussing the policies that Palestinians seeking health-related permits must maneuver through, the report also provides case studies throughout, illustrating how these policies impact the individual lives of residents living in the OPT.

Read the full report here. It is one in a series of reports that are part of PHRI’s advocacy addressing freedom of movement and health care for of Palestinians living in the Occupied Territory. PHRI’s work in this area includes a second report entitled Denied 2, which is accessible here.

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