A/HRC/31/44 introduced in the early 1990s.76 A further 25,957 permits were issued for work in settlements.77 68. Permits to enter and work in Israel can be suddenly and arbitrarily revoked. For example, in June 2015, Israeli authorities cancelled all entry permits to Israel for Palestinians from the West Bank village of Sa’ir, apparently in an act of collective punishment after a Palestinian man from the village attacked a border police officer in East Jerusalem.78 69. While restricting Palestinian workers’ access to work in Israel is not in and of itself a violation of international standards, such restrictions must be viewed in the overall context of the occupation and the violations of international human rights and humanitarian law accompanying it. Disproportionate Israeli restrictions on movement and trade have significantly contributed to the grave economic hardship in the West Bank and Gaza, which has interfered with access to livelihoods and work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 4. Right to family life 70. Restrictions on freedom of movement impede Palestinians’ enjoyment of the right to family life and to protection of the family unit. According to a poll conducted by Gisha in 2013, almost a third of all Palestinians in Gaza had relatives in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, or Israel.79 Yet, under the current closure and permit regime, only those needing to visit a gravely ill, first-degree relative or to attend the wedding or the funeral of first-degree relatives may obtain approval to travel between Gaza and the West Bank. Even when narrow permit criteria are satisfied, approval remains uncertain owing to quotas and lengthy procedures.80 71. While it is difficult to obtain approval for family-related visits to the West Bank, permission for family reunification is nearly impossible. Relocation to the West Bank is limited to applicants satisfying one of three narrowly defined categories: minors under the age of 16 who have lost a parent in Gaza, elderly people in need of nursing care who have no first-degree relative to care for them and chronically ill patients. Being married to someone from the West Bank or having children living there is not considered sufficient to allow relocation.81 72. Restrictions on movement also prevent Palestinians who are from the West Bank or Gaza and who are married to Israeli or East Jerusalem residents from realizing their right to family life. In June 2015, the Knesset extended for another year the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, issued as a temporary order in 2003.82 The law prohibits Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza from obtaining permanent or temporary resident status in East Jerusalem or Israel, even when they are married to citizens or residents of Israel. 83 In few 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 COGAT, “Status of permits”, p. 21. International Labour Office, The Situation of Workers of the Occupied Arab Territories, May 2015, para. 36. Natasha Roth, “Israel responds to lone attacks with collective punishment”, +972 Magazine, 22 June 2015. Gisha, “Survey: 31 per cent of Gaza residents have relatives in Israel, East Jerusalem, West Bank” (19 December 2013). Gisha, “Distant relatives”, July 2015. See http://features.gisha.org/distant_relatives. B’Tselem and HaMoked, So Near and Yet So Far: Implications of Israeli-imposed Seclusion of Gaza Strip on Palestinians’ Right to Family Life, January 2014, pp. 12-15. HaMoked, “With no end in sight: for the sixteenth time, the Knesset has approved the prolongation of the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law”, 15 June 2015. HaMoked, Temporary Order?: Life in East Jerusalem under the Shadow of the Citizenship and Entry 15