ammonnews.net

Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Civil Status and Passports Department (CSPD) has granted tens of thousands of Palestinians Jordanian passports and national numbers during the past three months, according to an article of the Civil Status law labeled 'Returning National Numbers.'

Sources revealed that approximately 60,000 of the Palestinians who were issued documents are residents of the West Bank.

Many Palestinians who held Jordanian passports prior to 1988, whose documents were indirectly withdrawn (revoked) requested to be reissued Jordanian passports, national numbers and family books.

CSPD authorized documents to all requests without auditing, although the verdict must have been released from the Prime Ministry.

Temporary passports without national numbers granted to West Bankers began following the 1988 Disengagement decision in order to facilitate travel opportunities, Chief of Civil Status and Passports Department, Marwan Qtaishat, said in a statement to Ammon News.

Many Palestinian leaders and officials have Jordanian Nationality, and many of them live in Amman after they retire.

Meanwhile, Jordan News Agency (Petra) on Friday reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Saad Srour dismissed reports that Jordan has granted citizenship to thousands of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank in the past few months.

"An internet website published recently that Jordan has granted citizenships to tens of thousands of Palestinians," Petra reported.

Commenting on the report, Srour said the government is actually reviewing some previous procedures where civil files and national numbers were unconstitutionally revoked from Jordanians of Palestinian origin, who are living inside or outside Jordan.

Srour said the government will study the cases in accordance with the known procedure of the 1988 administrative and legal disengagement with the West Bank.

Srour also said the government has stopped since the beginning of the year the annulling of citizenship except for people who have Palestinian passports or work for the Palestinian National Authority.

He said, citizenship was given to certain people on interim basis, and in accordance with the disengagement resolution to ease their travel and movement.

Srour affirmed Jordan's commitment to stand by the Palestinians and support their steadfastness on their national soil, adding that Jordan will do its utmost not to empty the Palestinian land out of its people.

As for Palestinian officials carrying Jordanian national passports, Srour said they have been given passports along time ago in order to ease their movement.