Child registration in West Bank/Gaza Strip The Israeli Civil Administration is the sole authority in charge of governing the population registry, and therefore all child registrations, in the occupied Palestinian territory, excluding East-Jerusalem. Since 1995 Palestinian District Coordination Office is responsible for primary registration, while the final approval and allocation of a registry number is done by the Israeli District Coordination Office. Israeli regulations stipulate that the child should be physically present in the occupied territory for registration in the Population Registry. This might be problematic for children born abroad. Israel has randomly prevented Palestinian children born abroad from entering the West Bank, thus impeding them from exercising their right to be properly registered. Upon turning 16, Palestinian children can no longer be registered according to Israeli military orders. Moreover, in 2006 Israel completely stopped the child registration process for Palestinian children born in the Gaza Strip. Conclusion A holistic consideration of Israel’s approach to family unification – both for Palestinians residing in Israel and those residing within the occupied Palestinian territory – and child registration reveals a clear and highly discriminatory pattern of behavior, underpinned by the motivation to reduce Palestinian presence within this territory. Israel’s practical delivery of family unification and child registration frameworks in respect to Palestinians falls woefully short of what is required to address the central issue of the separation of Palestinian families, paying mere lip service to its obligations under international law. Indeed, review of the historical background and contemporary reality surrounding family unification and child registration paints a picture of ever-tightening restrictions on the ability of Palestinians to enjoy the most basic of human rights, that of a family life. This steady erosion of democratic principles has ultimately resulted in many thousands of Palestinians suffering great hardship and emotional distress which intrudes on all aspects of life. Moreover, the effects of such policy are also felt beyond the confines of individual family units, as legislation such as the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law damages the social and cultural bonds which hold societies together. Israel’s family unification policy can be seen as a blatant attempt to reduce the Palestinian population in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory in order to secure a Jewish demographic majority, and this is made even more apparent by the ease with which individuals possessing only a loose familial connection to Judaism can obtain full Israeli citizenship. It is important to note that forced population transfer is not restricted to physical force: 43