The Dutch government announced on 9 February that it would begin recognizing the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as birthplaces on official paperwork for Palestinians born in those places after 1948. The decision comes after a lawsuit by a Dutch citizen born in East Jerusalem suing the government for only providing the option of “Israel” or “unknown” for Palestinians born in the occupied territories. The Dutch citizen lost his lawsuit and appeal in the Dutch Council of State; however, he was considering taking his lawsuit to the European Court of Human Rights before the government made the change. The plaintiff said that after the West Bank and Gaza was made available as birthplaces, “This decision means that we are no longer registered as born in Israel. That is a step in the right direction but by avoiding the word Palestine, our identity is still denied.” The Netherlands does not recognize the State of Palestine.
Quarterly Updates for (1 Jan 2019 — 31 Mar 2019)