NOS News•today, 11:06
The Dutch state must again process asylum applications from Palestinians. The Council of State ruled this in a case brought by three Palestinian refugees.
In December, outgoing State Secretary Van der Burg (Asylum) imposed a six-month treatment stop due to the war in Gaza. He called the situation in the area uncertain and said that “no lasting policy” was possible.
But according to the highest administrative court, the State Secretary did not properly substantiate that decision. Van der Burg would not have based his findings on the most current information about the war in Gaza. As a result, he did not sufficiently address the developments from early November to December 19, 2023, the Council of State says.
No family reunification
Due to the processing stop, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) did not reject asylum requests from Palestinians, but neither were residence permits granted. No new asylum applications from Palestinians have also been processed.
The treatment stop mainly affected Palestinians who had left their families in Gaza. This group could not rely on family reunification to bring their families to the Netherlands. This is only possible for asylum seekers with a valid residence status.
The three Palestinians who went to court believed that the situation in Gaza was not uncertain, but unsafe and not temporary, meaning that the asylum applications of Palestinians must be processed within the agreed period.
