Israel introduce new laws for pipo wey fall in love

Foreigners must tell di Israeli defence ministry if dem fall in love wit a Palestinian for di occupied West Bank, according to new rules.

If dem marry, dem go need leave afta 27 months for a cooling-off period of at least half a year.

Na part of di tight rules on foreigners wey dey live or wan visit di West Bank.

Palestinians and Israeli NGOs don accuse Israel of "taking restrictions to a new level".

Di new rules go come into force on Monday.

Wetin di new rules tok

Di regulations wey dem lay out inside one lengthy document include demand on foreigners to inform di Israeli authorities within 30 days dem start relationship wit a Palestinian ID holder.

New restrictions on Palestinian universities include a quota for 150 student visas and 100 foreign lecturers, dat kain limits no dey for Israeli schools.

Business pipo and aid organisations say dis new rules go affect dem well-well.

Di rules set strict limitations on di duration of visas and visa extensions, in many cases e stop pipo from working or volunteering for di West Bank for longer dan a few months.

"Dis na about demographic engineering of Palestinian society and isolating Palestinian society from di outside world,"Jessica Montell, executive director of di Israeli non-governmental organisation HaMoked tok, we ydon petition di Israeli High Court against di regulations.

"Dem don make am so much more difficult for pipo to come and work for Palestinian institutions, volunteer, invest, teach and study."

One state, two systems

Israel capture di West Bank from Jordan for di 1967 Middle East War. Today, Cogat, one unit for di Israeli Ministry of Defence, e dey responsible for di administration of occupation for di Palestinian territory.

Di new 97-page Cogat order dey titled procedure for entry and residence of foreigners in the Judea and Samaria area - di biblical name Israel dey use for di West Bank.

Dem first publish di new rules for February but delay di introduction but im introduction has been delayed.

Di document say e dey set out to "define di levels of authority and di manner of processing for applications from foreigners wey wish to enta di Judea and Samaria area".

E cite di interim peace agreements dem reach in di 1990s, wey require Israeli approval to grant residency to spouses and children of Palestinian residents for di West Bank and Gaza, and approve visitor permits.

Di new rules no apply to dos wey dey visit Israel as well as Palestinian-controlled parts of di West Bank, nor Jewish settlements. In such cases, entry involves di Israeli immigration authorities.

Di PLO - di umbrella body wey dey represent di Palestinian pipo – tok say dem dey bring in "apartheid regulations wey impose a reality of one state and two different systems".

Di BBC contact Cogat for response but dem no get one. Israeli authorities tok say di restrictions on travel into di territory dey needed for security reasons.

Business fears

Bassim Khoury, CEO of one Palestinian pharmaceutical firm for di West Bank, say e go seriously limit im ability to bring employees, investors, suppliers, and quality control experts from abroad because of visa restrictions and costs of travel.

Di new rules specify say foreign visitors wey dey come on a West Bank-only permit dey obliged to travel via land crossings wit Jordan and go fit only use Israel Ben Gurion airport in exceptional cases.

One of Mr Khoury major investors na Jordanian, and di new rules completely exclude nationals of Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain, and South Sudan - although these kontris get diplomatic ties wit Israel.

Holders of passports from dis kontri - including dual nationals - fit only enter di West Bank in exceptional and humanitarian cases for a limited period.

Dr Benjamin Thomson, wey dey head one Canadian charity, Keys to Health, wey send medical professors from North America and di UK to train Palestinian doctors say "Anyone wey dey involved in work for di Occupied Territories of Palestine already dey familiar wit di multiple administrative delays in getting permission,".