Opinion // Israel’s Haven For Palestinian Informers
The unspoken challenge of protecting Palestinian informers—and continuing Yitzhak Rabin's legacy
By Ofir Hadad
Munir, a native of the West Bank, claims that he was jailed and tortured in Nablus by the Palestinian Authority for more than two years until 2002, following suspicion that he worked as a collaborator of the Israeli Security Agency Shin Bet with his cousin.
Although authorities denied that Munir (not his real name) was a collaborator, they granted him a temporary permit to stay in Israel. In 2005, he petitioned the Israeli High Court of Justice for a permanent permit. The court, however, ruled that his temporary permit is the only appropriate remedy he can have. Under this status, he is afforded none of the legal privileges of a permanent resident, other than sanctuary.
Munir’s case illustrates the tension between Israel’s concern for...