Some Palestinians get legal status after years in Gaza limbo
By WAFAA SHURAFA
Associated Press
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has granted residency rights to thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip after years of legal limbo. The residency allows people to get an official ID number and passport. Without this official status, it is impossible to travel abroad and difficult to obtain many services. Israel portrays its decision as a good-will gesture, while human rights groups say it violated international law by withholding residency rights for so long. They say the move is long overdue, and thousands more Palestinians remain without official IDs or passports.
