Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz directed Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alyan, the Israel Defense Forces’ Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), to approve the registration of some 4,000 Palestinians to the Palestinian Population Registry.
An appearance in the registry is necessary for West Bank Palestinians to receive Palestinian ID cards and passports. The Palestinian Authority manages the Palestinian Population Registry in coordination with Israel.
Alyan notified P.A. representatives that 1,200 requests for Palestinians who have been living in the West Bank for years without registration had been approved, in addition to 2,800 Palestinians born in the Gaza Strip and who moved to the West Bank prior to 2007.
The approval was given specifically to P.A. residents and not to Palestinians who live abroad.