Page 6 - aruba-today-20220905

A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 5 SepteMber 2022
Israel announces new rules for foreigners in West Bank

By JOSEF FEDERMAN eign spouses of Palestin-
Associated Press ians also remain in place.
JERUSALEM (AP) — An Is- Spouses are only entitled
raeli military body on Sun- to short-term visits and can
day released a list of rules be required to deposit up
and restriction for foreign- to 70,000 shekels (about
ers wanting to enter Pal- $20,000) to guarantee they
estinian areas of the West will leave the territory.
Bank, extending its control The new rules offer some
of daily life and movement potential relief for foreign
in and out of the occupied spouses, including a lon-
territory. ger-term visa of 27 months
COGAT, the Israeli body in that can be renewed and
charge of Palestinian civil- include multiple visits in and
ian affairs, stepped back out of the territory. It also
from a number of contro- drops a previous “cooling
versial restrictions that had off” period that required
appeared in a draft of the spouses to leave for lengthy
rules published earlier this periods between visas.
year, such as a require- U.S. Ambassador Tom Nides
ment that people who expressed disappointment
form romantic relationships Kenae Totah, 5, right, plays while his parents Morgan Cooper, 41, center and foreign spouse Saleh with the rules, and said
with local Palestinians regis- Totah, right, pose for a photo in front of their restaurant, at the West Bank city of Ramallah, Monday, he had “aggressively en-
ter with Israeli authorities. May 2, 2022. Associated Press gaged” with Israel on the
But many of the changes in draft and would continue
the 90-page document ap- they have removed the in the 1967 Mideast war — new or extend the existing to do so ahead of the rules’
peared to be largely cos- most outrageous elements. territories Palestinians seek visa.” formal implementation.
metic. The U.S. ambassador Yet they are keeping the for an independent state. The new rules also dropped “I continue to have con-
expressed concern over basic structure of this very The initial draft included earlier limits on the num- cerns with the published
the rules, and critics said invasive and harmful pro- a requirement that a for- ber of foreign students and protocols, particularly re-
they merely entrenched Is- cedure in place,” she add- eigner who forms a serious teachers allowed to study garding COGAT’s role in
rael’s 55-year control over ed. The rules are set to go romantic relationship with or work in the West Bank. determining whether indi-
the Palestinian population into effect on Oct. 20. a local Palestinian notify The amount of time they viduals invited by Palestin-
in the territory. The wide-ranging policy the Israeli military within 30 can stay in the territory was ian academic institutions
“The Israeli military is pro- imposes rules on foreign- days of the “start of the re- also lengthened. are qualified to enter the
posing new restrictions in ers who marry Palestinians lationship,” defined as an Yet COGAT continues to West Bank, and the po-
order to isolate Palestinian or who come to the West engagement, wedding or hold great discretion over tential negative impact on
society from the outside Bank to work, volunteer, moving in together. who is allowed in. It must family unity,” he said. “I fully
world and keep Palestin- study or teach. The rules do The 30-day notice was re- approve the academic expect the Government of
ian families from living to- not apply to people visiting moved from Sunday’s rules. credentials of a university Israel to make necessary
gether,” said Jessica Mon- Israel or the more than 130 But it nonetheless says that lecturer invited by a Pales- adjustments” during a two-
tell, executive director of Jewish settlements scat- if a foreigner starts a rela- tinian institution, and holds year pilot program to en-
HaMoked, an Israeli human tered across the West Bank. tionship with a Palestinian, the right to screen poten- sure “fair and equal treat-
rights group that has chal- Israel captured the West “the appointed COGAT of- tial students if there is “sus- ment of all U.S. citizens and
lenged the rules in court. Bank, along with east Jeru- ficial must be informed as picion of misuse” of a visa. other foreign nationals trav-
“In response to criticism salem and the Gaza Strip, part of their request to re- Tough restrictions on for- eling to the West Bank.”q

U.S. Navy assault ship takes part in

Baltic Sea training

By MICHAL DYJUK and RA- exciting,” said Capt. Tom mander of the Kearsarge
FAL NIEDZIELSKI Foster, the commanding Amphibious Ready Group.
Associated Press officer of the Kearsarge. “We’ll continue to operate
ABOARD USS KEARSARGE With some other U.S. Navy in those areas. And always
(AP) — U.S. Navy amphibi- ships, the Kearsarge has the goal there is promoting
ous assault ship USS Ke- been training for several safety and security in those
arsarge is taking part in in- months with the militaries regions and in international
ternational training in the of Sweden and Finland, waters,” Kelley said.
Baltic Sea amid Russia’s which formally applied to The USS Kearsarge allows
war in Ukraine and tensions join NATO after Russia in- for training by such aircraft
in the region. The Kearsarge vaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. as AV-8B Harriers, UH-1 Y
is the first ship of the Wasp The training mission is to Venom and AH- 1Z Viper
class to take part in interna- promote safety and secu- helicopters as well as MV-
tional training in the Baltic rity in the region. 22 Osprey planes.
in at least two decades. “In the past several months, The Baltic Sea countries
Final checker gives a thumb up to a AV-8B Harrier taking off Associated Press journalists we have been operat- are Sweden, Finland, Rus-
from the flight deck of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship
USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), operating in the Baltic Sea, Saturday, visited the ship last week. ing in the Baltics and in sia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithua-
Sept. 3, 2022. “It’s a first off for us in recent the Mediterranean,” said nia, Poland, Germany and
Associated Press memory and it’s been very Capt. Aaron Kelley, com- Denmark.q