The “Center of Life” Policy: Institutionalizing Statelessness in East Jerusalem

Since 1995 Israel has revoked the permanent residency rights of more than ten thousand Palestinian East Jerusalemites – nearly 0.5 percent of the entire Palestinian population of East Jerusalem – on the allegation that their “center of life” is no longer in Jerusalem. The arbitrary standard on which this policy is based exceeds the bounds of Israel’s written law and violates international law. The actual reality in Jerusalem – a result of the “center of life” policy – is the institutionalization of statelessness and forced displacement of Palestinian East Jerusalemites.