Freedom of movement Since I applied for family reunification, I was able to stay in the country through a three month tourist visa, which I receive from the Israeli border control each time I cross the borders to Palestine. This means that every three months I have to leave the country and cross the border between Jordan and the West Bank, which is controlled by Israel. However, while I’m in the West Bank, as a foreigner, I can apply also for a one year visa. This visa, if accepted by Israel, is a single-entry visa that will be canceled if one were to exit the borders of the West Bank. It also strictly forbids employment in the West Bank. I first applied for the one year visa in 2010, again in 2011 and in 2013. At the Borders Each time I cross the border, the Israeli’s make me wait for hours and I have to go through interrogations. On average it takes me about 6 hours to cross. Although they have all the information about me, my wife and son, they always ask me, absurdly, for my marriage agreement and for the submission receipt for family reunification, but I never give it to them. I always tell them it’s an important document that I don’t carry with me while traveling. It seems they are just trying to annoy me with these questions and requests, and I have heard similar stories from other foreigners in a similar situation. However, in my case, they usually give me a three month visa while highlighting the fact I cannot live in the West Bank with my family – I have only the right to visit. It’s never clear whether the Israelis will let me pass the borders. It’s also not clear whether they will grant me a three month visa. One time when I left Palestine in order to renew my visa in 2011, I was granted only a one month visa upon my return. I didn’t know why and the border control employee gave no explanation. Impact on life It is not so much the logistical and financial implications of having to leave the country every three months which affects me and my family, but rather the uncertainty in which we live and the anxious state of mind which my wife and I constantly feel. After the birth of our son things become harder as we do not want our child to feel that his father is away. Moreover, I’m becoming more nervous each time I have to leave the country, as I’m not sure how the Israelis will treat me on the way back, and what will happen if they forbid me from entering. My wife and I try to live our lives as if nothing is wrong. We try not to take the visa issue too much into our considerations and decisions for the future. For instance, we decided to build our own house here in Beit Sahour, and in which we are investing most of our money. But it can happen that one day Israel won’t grant me another visa. Consequently, everything we have created here would be destroyed in a moment: our house, work, family and friends. We are determined to live our life normally, but this issue is like a haunting ghost. It is always somewhere out there. I try not to think about it, but I am still obliged to renew my visa. My story is just one example of Israel’s policy putting thousands of Palestinians under the threat of forcible displacement in various ways. I’m not asking much. I hope for a normal and simple life with my family, nothing more and nothing less. 34