Inspecting refrigerators and trash: An Israeli institution violates the privacy of Jerusalemites under the pretext of 'center of life'

In the homes of Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem, privacy is no longer a personal matter, but has become subject to scrutiny and examination by the occupying authorities, whose institutional procedures have even extended to the bedrooms, refrigerators, and trash cans of Jerusalemites in their homes. The entity that violates this privacy is often the 'National Insurance Institute,' which organizes surprise field visits to ensure that the targeted family's 'center of life' is the city of Jerusalem. In these cases, Jerusalemites have no choice but to open their doors.

The 'center of life' is a term used by the occupation's interior ministry and the Israeli insurance institution to ascertain whether the city of Jerusalem, specifically the areas within the municipal boundaries, is the primary place of residence for the Jerusalemite citizen. Based on this, it is decided whether they are entitled to remain there and obtain some of their rights, including family reunification, registering children in the population registry, or receiving insurance benefits. This procedure adds a heavy layer of continuous surveillance and pressure on residents of a city living under the weight of policies targeting their existence and stability.

Surprise visits are often organized for mixed couples, where one spouse holds a Jerusalem ID and the other a West Bank ID. They may also be organized for Jerusalemite couples whose place of residence the Ministry of Interior suspects, assuming they live outside Jerusalem. Thus, through field teams, it seeks to prove this to revoke their residency rights. Field investigators commit violations described by human rights activists as blatant, deliberately opening refrigerators, inspecting trash cans, and checking water and electricity meters.

Jerusalemite families are forced to comply with these procedures in the hope of successfully registering their children and securing their residency, or obtaining family reunification. Human rights sources reported that procedures have changed significantly after the war in October 2023, where the Ministry of Interior and the insurance institution exerted excessive pressure, to the extent that investigators entered bedrooms, searched closets, and rummaged through personal belongings.

In a testimony by Rami Saleh, director of the Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights, he mentioned a case where an investigator entered a home and placed a tissue under the sleeping pillow of the family's daughter. He returned a week later and deduced that she was not living in the house because she had not removed the tissue, which put her at risk of residency revocation. The center also monitored the use of modern technological means, where investigators contact Jerusalemites via 'WhatsApp' and ask them to immediately open their camera or send their geographical location to confirm their presence in Jerusalem at night.

Official departments are not content with questioning residency; the matter has extended to the parentage of children. The number of cases in which the Ministry of Interior requests a DNA test to prove the maternity and paternity of parents to their children as a condition for registration has increased. Attorney Mohammed Shehabi from the Community Work Center confirmed that this test has become a significant psychological and financial burden, in addition to the Interior Ministry's request to present the 'Rav-Kav' public transportation card to monitor the movements of Jerusalemites and ensure they do not commute daily to West Bank cities.

The Jerusalemite finds himself in a cage of accusation, where investigators arrive with a clear view that the citizen is under suspicion and must prove otherwise.