Israel decided to grant the Palestinians additional permits and facilitations during the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday.
The decision comes as part of other measures expected at the political and security level in Israel ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to the region, which is scheduled for mid-July.
The Israeli Civil Administration announced “the easing of some restrictions imposed on the movement of Palestinians during the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, from July 9 to 13.”
Israel's military liaison to the Palestinians Ghassan Alian confirmed that his office has approved the easing of restrictions.
Despite the decision to alleviate constraints for Palestinians, strict restrictions will remain in place for Hamas-ruled Gaza.
However, “400 Palestinians from Gaza will receive permits to visit the city of Jerusalem during the holiday.”
Alian affirmed that the 400 visitor permits to Jerusalem will only be issued for men aged over 55 and women aged over 50.
While the decision will allow 400 Palestinians to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque, it will also permit 500 others to visit immediate relatives in the West Bank and Israel.
In a statement, Alian said regardless of whether the permits are issued to residents in the West Bank or Gaza, they will be subject to security assessments.
He also announced the provision of wider permissions to West Bank residents, including family visits to Israel without specifying the number of permits, 200 permits to visit the city of Eilat, as well as allowing 500 Palestinians to travel through Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
Israel’s Channel 13 reported that the permits were only a part of other expected measures that are being prepared with the Palestinian Authority ahead of Biden’s visit to the region.
It stated that goodwill gestures include Tel Aviv’s commitment to providing 4G cellular services to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and allowing a symbolic Palestinian presence at the Israeli Allenby crossing on the border with Jordan.
