Important Notice (May 29, 2009) 

According to Israel’s stated procedures*, spouses and children under 16 of Palestinian I.D. holders, businesspersons, investors, lecturers, consultants, persons with working permits, pilgrims, reporters, volunteers, representatives of international organizations and others are eligible to receive entry visas to the West Bank.

If problems arise, foreign passport holders wishing to enter the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) via Allenby Bridge and declaring their intention to do so may wish to insist on contacting the COGAT representative at the Bridge. COGAT is the office of the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories at the Israeli Ministry of Defense (Matpash in Hebrew) and should be available to deal with all foreign passport holders wishing to enter the oPt.

Recent incidents with foreign passport holders at Allenby Bridge suggest that access to the COGAT representative is not always readily available. Ministry of Interior personnel (the men and women dressed in blue uniforms) may try to refuse access to COGAT and travelers may need to insist on seeing the COGAT representative. If this fails, it may be possible to speak to a representative (usually dressed in green army uniforms) when they come to interview travelers who have been asked to wait after first presenting their passports to the Ministry of Interior personnel at the passport control window.

Alternatively, you can try to reach the COGAT office directly by phone on the numbers provided below:

(02) 9943375 (general) Sun–Thu 8:00-19:00, Fri and Sat 8:00-14:30
(02) 9977733 (emergency humanitarian number)
(03) 6977624 (24hr COGAT operations room in Tel Aviv)
(03) 6975351 (COGAT headquarters in Tel Aviv)
http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/en- US/Borders/Alenbi/UsefulTerminalInfo/EssentialPhonenumbers.htm

Nothing in this notice is intended to imply that the administrative practices of the Israeli authorities described or referred to herein are internationally lawful or can be accepted as such. The Right to Enter Campaign maintains that Israel‘s arbitrary and abusive exercise of discretion over entry into the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) is unlawful and must be vigorously opposed.

For more information please contact Campaign Coordinator at +970.(0)59.817.3953.

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*In December 2006, the Israeli Ministry of Defense -- Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) outlined new procedures for entry into the oPt. In March 2007 a similar statement was issued by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and addressed to third state missions. Procedures outlined in these announcements fail to address a number of critical issues, especially the fundamental issue of how Israel will exercise its discretion over entry into the oPt. Moreover, despite reported assurances from Israeli officials that under the new procedures entry denials would be based on legitimate security considerations, documented cases of persons denied entry indicate that the practice resulting from the implementation of announced procedures remains arbitrary, abusive and internationally unlawful.