The state countered that there had been no policy change and that individuals who left Jerusalem for an extended time were not permanent residents of the city.
An affidavit submitted to the court by a former adviser on Arab affairs to the mayor of Jerusalem claimed that there had been a shift in policy.
“I think that, without a doubt, Palestinians who leave Jerusalem for the West Bank, Jordan or abroad for good reasons, such as lack of housing, difficulty finding employment or for studies,” do not view their lives “abroad as the center of their lives,” Amir Cheshin told Israel Radio.