Allowing Jordanian Citizens Living in East Jerusalem to Pass Through the Shuafat Checkpoint
- ACRI
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
On November 19, 2025 ACRI petitioned the Supreme Court to oppose the policy of the police and Border Police to forbid Jordanian citizens who live in Israel legally under the framework of the family unification program from passing through the Shuafat Refugee Camp checkpoint to other parts of Jerusalem. The petition was submitted on behalf of a brother and sister, both Jordanian citizens married to Israeli permanent residents and who live with their spouses and children in the Shuafat Refugee Camp neighborhood. Because of the prohibition on passing through the checkpoint near their home, they are forced to travel via significantly longer bypass routes in order to reach Jerusalem through other checkpoints. This makes their ability to access social, cultural, medical, and other needs significantly more difficult.
The petition states that this issue has already been discussed several times in the Supreme Court and that police officials have repeatedly claimed that there is no such prohibition: it is a “malfunction” and the procedures “will be clarified.” However, the “malfunction” consistently recurs and security personnel at the Shuafat Refugee Camp checkpoint continue to forbid passage to these residents, thereby necessitating that they go through other checkpoints on their way to the rest of the city. The petition argues that the prohibition has no purpose, is arbitrary and unreasonable, and harms a range of basic rights of the residents and their family members.
HCJ 55263-11-25 Hamed v. Commander of the Jerusalem District, Israel Police
Attorneys: Yael Seidemann, Tal Hassin
ACRI's petition, November 19, 2025 (Heb)
The petition was written with the assistance of field coordinator Muhannad Anati and legal intern Yaser Abu Areesha.
