The rules — which do not apply to those visiting Israeli settlements in the West Bank — are set to take effect on Monday after being twice delayed by legal challenges. The new rulebook was drafted by COGAT, the Ministry of Defense body responsible for Palestinian political affairs. According to the regulations, first published in February, a foreign national married to a Palestinian, who plans to marry one or enter into a relationship with one, must notify COGAT. Additionally, if the relationship begins after a foreigner arrives in the West Bank, they must notify Israeli authorities within 30 days of the engagement, marriage or cohabitation — “whichever comes first.” “A foreigner married to or partnering with a resident of the Territory must make arrangements… before arriving in the Territory. If the relationship begins after the alien arrives in the Territory, then the authorized COGAT official must be notified in writing within 30 days of the beginning of the relationship. At the same time, an application must be submitted to the Palestinian Authority to formalize the status,” the rules state. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Credit: A Palestinian man sells roses on Valentine’s Day in the West Bank city of Ramallah, February 14, 2010. (Issam Rimawi/Flash90) If their relationship status is not formalized within 90 days, then their Israeli permit will expire and the foreigner will be required to leave the country immediately, according to the rules. Regardless of the formalization of their status, the Israeli permit can only be extended for up to 27 months. After that, the foreigner would have to leave the country for a waiting period of six months. The rules also state that foreign passport holders — including Palestinians living abroad — planning to visit the West Bank (with the exception of settlements) will no longer be able to obtain visas on arrival at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and should apply for them at least 45 days in advance. The measures will also significantly limit the ability of foreigners to study, volunteer or work in the West Bank, a major blow to student exchange programs run by the European Union among others. Passengers sit in a waiting room on the Jordanian side of the Allenby Bridge that crosses the West Bank and Jordan on July 19, 2022. (Khalil Mazraawi/AFP) The new rules will deprive “thousands of Palestinian families of the right to live together without interruption and lead a normal family life,” said HaMoked, the Israeli rights group that led the Supreme Court challenge against the measures. HaMoked director Jessica Montell said in a statement that international humanitarian law gives Israel the right as the “occupying power” in the West Bank to act in the name of its security and “for the well-being of the local population.” But he said the new regulations had “nothing to do with either” and that Israel’s goal was “to limit the growth of the Palestinian population through family reunification.” Passengers arrive at the Jordanian side of the Allenby Bridge that crosses the West Bank and Jordan on July 19, 2022. (Khalil Mazraawi/AFP) Asked by AFP, COGAT said the new regulations were a “two-year pilot” aimed at making the entry process “more efficient and more appropriate to the dynamic conditions of the time”. In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian lawyer Rashem Kamal said he has been inundated with clients from the diaspora who want to register power of attorney amid deep uncertainty about the settlement of their cases. “A lot of people are rushing to come to the West Bank and complete their business here or give power of attorney because they understand … there may be restrictions on their ability to visit,” he said. Canadian doctor Benjamin Thompson, one of 19 plaintiffs involved in the legal challenge, said the Israeli move would disrupt the work of health professionals. “These draconian measures will seriously affect their work and harm the lives of the Palestinian people,” said Thomson, director of the Keys of Health program aimed at rebuilding health care in the Palestinian territories. “This is micromanagement, designed to damage the Palestinian social fabric,” said Sam Bahour, a Palestinian-American businessman who moved to the West Bank from Ohio in 1995. File: Students at the Bethlehem University campus in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. May 19, 2014. (Miriam Alster/Flash90) The new rules will also set quotas for academic exchange programs, allowing just 150 foreign professors and 100 students to attend Palestinian universities each year. The proposed quotas have drawn strong rebuke from the European Union, whose Erasmus+ exchange program will be particularly affected. In 2020, 366 European students and professors participated in courses in the West Bank, significantly more than the total quota for the next two years. “While Israel benefits greatly from Erasmus+, the [European] The Commission believes that it should facilitate, not hinder, student access to Palestinian universities,” Education Commissioner Maria Gabriel said in July. You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. 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