There are different kinds of permits used by
Israel to control the Occupied
Palestinian Territories and the Palestinians who live within them. Travel permits from
Israeli authorities are required for Palestinians living in the
West Bank and
Gaza Strip order to enter Israel, including
East Jerusalem. Israeli civilians wanting to enter Areas A in the West Bank are also required to obtain Israeli-issued permits. Due to Israel's
Separation Barrier and Jewish Israeli settlements, some Palestinians must obtain permits from the Israeli military to access their own land and even to live in their homes. All types of permits (including building permits for Palestinians living in Area C and East Jerusalem) can be difficult to obtain, and there are instances of Palestinians being barred from access to their land and losing their crops. Israel states the permits are necessary for maintaining security and order; however, Palestinian and Israeli civil rights NGOs have labeled the system of permits a "permit regime" in which an impossible bureaucracy intentionally discriminates against Palestinians. See "
The Permit Maze: Palestinians need permits to move, to live, for everything," BADIL Resource Center, November 3, 2003; and "
Security fence permits for Palestinians petition rejected," Ron Friedman,
Jerusalem Post, April 4, 2011.