A rather underreported issue about the way Palestinians are treated is emerging. Countries that control borders through which Palestinians need to travel act as though they were the guardians for what they deem best for Palestinians. Four different bodies today are using their powers to limit the movement of people and goods from and to various Palestinian territories. Ironically, the Ramallah-based Palestinian government is not one of them.

While travel restrictions refer to both entry and exit, what is strange is that these four powers use this control to prevent people from exiting without actually accusing them of anything. Such arbitrary decisions are often made under the pretext of being in the best interest of the people that they are restricting. When it comes to freedom of travel, the four key groups who have appointed themselves the guardians for Palestinians are the Hamas government, Egypt, Jordan and Israel.

The Haniyeh government, which continued in power despite being sacked by President Mahmoud Abbas, has caused the exodus of the European supervisors from the Rafah crossing point. With the Europeans gone, the Gaza-based government has taken over the crossings on the border with Egypt as well as with Israel and used this newfound power to restrict the exit of people, particularly if the government does not approve of where they are going or what they plan to do. This is most evident when the issue is understood in connection with the ongoing split between Fatah and Hamas and the internal power struggle within Hamas.

Jordan is also playing a guardianship role in the way it administers the King Hussein Bridge. Palestinians from Jerusalem going in or out must have a special Israeli permit. Jerusalemites with dual citizenship or other travel documents are not allowed to enter or exit via the King Hussein Bridge. The reason given is that Jerusalemites not using the permit might eventually lose their residency in Jerusalem. Palestinians have accused Israel of using administrative means to ethnically cleanse east Jerusalem of its Arab population. Jerusalemites who travel regularly and have the necessary re-entry visa to Israel say that this fear is exaggerated and doesn’t apply to them.