25K Palestinians babies unrecognized by Israel

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Israel does not recognize 25,000 Palestinian babies born in recent months, Palestine’s Interior Ministry said Thursday.

That policy has ramifications for parents of the newborns because it means they will not be allowed to travel abroad with their children.

Israel conditions recognition to babies if the Palestinian Authority officially provides names to Israel. But the practice was stopped when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decided to halt work and coordination with Israel after the Tel Aviv announced plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

Israel, as an occupying power, controls the crossings of the West Bank and could prevent Palestinians from traveling.

It also has a complete database of all Palestinian citizens.

Undersecretary of the Palestinian Interior Ministry Yousef Harb told the Palestinian official news agency, WAFA, that "the ministry issues all needed documents for Palestinians including passports, ID cards, death certificates and issued since May more than 25,000 birth certificates."

Harb noted that Israel is using this issue to pressure and blackmail Palestinians where the most affected by the policy are parents of babies who cannot travel with them.

"The [Israeli] occupation practices the blackmail against our Palestinian people and this is not something new," he added.

Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara