This report by Machsom Watch describes events and changes in the appeals procedures against blacklisting since April 2007.

According to Machsom Watch, "blacklisting of Palestinians by the Israeli General Security Services (Shabak) is one of the many tools of oppression aimed at avoiding resistance on the part of the population in the Occupied Territories. It is widely used and there are tens of thousands of blacklisted people in the West Bank.

The blacklisted cannot obtain entry permits for work or trade in Israel or in the settlements. They also get outright rejection on their applications to receive permits to work their own lands in so far as these were suddenly located on the wrong side of the Barrier built to isolate the Palestinian population. Some are even denied access to treatment in East Jerusalem Palestinian hospitals or hospitals in West Jerusalem and other parts of Israel, or entry for other personal needs. Some of the blacklisted persons are not allowed to travel abroad for holidays or medical treatment.

The large majority of those blacklisted have done nothing to deserve being on the list. They are victims of a system that aims at maintaining a big pool of potential collaborators. Moreover, blacklisting helps to keep the population frightened, hungry, vulnerable and in continuous uncertainty. The system also hampers social cohesion since the tendency of the blacklisted is always to suspect their neighbors or family members to have informed on them. It helps the occupier to keep the population submissive, manageable and obedient.

The vast amount of documentation we have gathered leads us to conclude that the contribution of the Shabak to the violation of Palestinian human rights is not a random event or one that depends on specific security threats but, rather, it is systematic and always operates in the same way."
 

Machsom's Watch report is available on line.