Florida Family Separated in Israel

There is a well known family here in my hometown, Lakeland, Florida, that have been traveling to Palestine for the past four summers. They go to visit relatives as they are of Palestinian decent. The Yacoubs are naturalized U.S. citizens and their 11 children were born in the United States. Their children attend and have graduated from the very schools where my children are now attending. Some are students at Lake Gibson Middle School and others are enrolled in Lake Gibson Sr. They are very bright and many are taking Honors classes. Although their heritage is Palestine, they are American citizens.

This summer's trip included celebrations of marriage that are now clouded by the nightmare of trying to return to the United States. On August 18, 2007, Wedad Yacoub was forced to choose between returning home with her 3 younger children or remaining in Palestine with her 7 older ones. She chose to travel with her younger children, ages 3, 5 and 10. But her heart was torn in two as she had to leave the others behind. As a mother, I can only imagine the fear, devastation, anger and all the other emotions that follow as she was forced to choose. One of their children had remained here at home while the rest of the family traveled to Palestine.

Israeli officials stated that the children's father, Steve Yacoub, Palestinian heritage disqualified them from traveling as American citizens. According to a new rule Israel adopted back in March, "citizens of other countries who are of Palestinian heritage may be designated as Palestinian residents and forced to leave the country through Jordan." They were further instructed that the children would need to obtain Palestinian ID cards before they could leave the country through Jordan. The children's ages ranged from 11 to 22. An uncle living in Palestine assisted the children in their long journey of trying to come home.

The Yacoubs tried several times to contact the U.S State Department for assistance in dealing with the Israeli authority. They were told there was nothing that the State Department could do. In March, the State Department had posted a warning on their website about the new Israeli policy.

"According to an article in The New York Times, Israel has been restricting Palestinian immigration and tourism policies since 2000. After the Islamic party Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006, Israeli authorities extended the restrictions to relatives of West Bank residents. According to the Times article, dozens of American citizens notified the State Department that they had been prevented from entering the West Bank. Critics in Israel and the Palestinian territories say the policies are intended to apply political pressure on the Palestinian Authority."

After 3 weeks of separation, 6 of the 7 children are finally back in Florida. They arrived in Orlando at 2a.m. on September 7, 2007. Yacoub Yacoub, age 22, refused to obtain the Palestinian ID card. When he will return home with his wife is uncertain. A couple of the Yacoub children were asked if they would ever consider going back to Palestine for a visit. One said it would be a very long time from now while another flatly stated "never".

Cited work: The Lakeland Ledger