requirements. In addition, though permits are also available to children under 14 years old,89 these merely allow a child to remain within Israel or East Jerusalem until they reach the age of eighteen, with the provision failing to specify which legal status is to be accorded at that juncture. The legislation’s Second Amendment provides for permits to be granted to otherwise ineligible persons in the event of special humanitarian reasons90 with such decisions being made by a committee consisting of individuals from bodies including the Judiciary, Security Services and Ministry of Defense. However, the amendment specifies that being married to – or having children with – a person who is lawfully present in Israel does not constitute a special humanitarian condition. Moreover, the provision also states that permission to stay or reside in Israel or in East Jerusalem may be denied by the Minister of Interior if activities liable to endanger the State have been carried out within the applicant’s area of residence. Following this amendment, in 2008 the Israeli government passed a resolution according to which persons registered as residents of the Gaza Strip or who have been living in the area are no longer eligible to apply for family unification. The ‘justification’ for this decision was that the Gaza Strip is considered to be a region where actions against the State of Israel are perpetrated, and its result is that Palestinians with Gaza ID spouses have been completely denied of their right to live with their family in Israel or in East Jerusalem.91 Interview with Taiseer, ‘Akka92 I am a Palestinian citizen of Israel; I was born and raised in ‘Akka (Acre). I first met my wife to be in government offices in Jenin, where she used to work. We fell in love at first sight, and dated for a period before deciding to get married. Our families were concerned due to the Israeli denial of family unification rights, but nonetheless, we got married in 2005 and established our family in ‘Akka. My wife had to apply for a tourist permit in order to go to ‘Akka for our marriage. Her request was rejected, so she applied again, but this time for permission to visit my sick mother in hospital. Fortunately her application was accepted and she was granted a one-day permit, with which we were able to get married. Family unification process I submitted the application to the Israeli Ministery of Interior and two months later I received a letter stating that my request was refused according to the Nationality Law. Despite this, my wife kept coming to ‘Akka through short-term permits and then staying here illegally. Every time she wanted to visit her family in Jenin, she used to apply for a short-term permit in order to be sure that she would be able to return. 89 The State of Israel, Nationality Law, 1952, http://www.israellawresourcecenter.org/israellaws/ fulltext/nationalitylaw.htm. 90 State of Israel, “The Citizenship and Entry Law.” 91 Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order) 5763- 2003 – Validity Extension. 92 Taiseer Al-Khatib (40), ’Akka (Acre), interview by BADIL, September 2013. 37