Ramallah: The Civic Coalition in Occupied Jerusalem for Defending the Palestinian Rights in that city has strongly condemned a bill which seeks to ban Palestinian tour guides in Israel.

The bill also seeks to ban the Palestinian story from being told.

The coalition believes that if the bill becomes law it will compound existing violations of Palestinian rights and promote discrimination towards Palestinians on cultural, religious and political grounds.

A bill endorsed by the former Israeli tourism minister Gideon Ezra and seven other Israeli Knesset members proposes Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem be banned from guiding tours.

The bill stipulates that a Palestinian leading a group of more than 11 people or travelling in more than one vehicle must hold Israeli citizenship, according to the Israeli news daily Haaretz.

Under the bill the guide must demonstrate "institutional loyalty to the state of Israel".

Residency status

Most Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem have residency status but are not citizens, and would be subject to the ban.

The chairman of the Association of Occupied East Jerusalem Tourist Guide Union, Samir Bahbah, said the bill could affect the livelihood of some 300 Palestinians holding certification from Israel's Tourism Ministry.

Meanwhile, Israeli tour guides are allowed to enter and lead groups of pilgrims and tourists in Palestinian National Authority-controlled areas such as Bethlehem and Jericho as part of a pilot project between the Israeli and Palestinian tourism ministries and the Israeli Occupation Forces.

According to the text of the bill, Palestinian tour guides present "anti-Israeli positions" before the tourist groups they guide and "in an inappropriate manner" present the interests of the state.

The city of occupied Jerusalem has many historical sites and there is often disagreement on the manner of the presentation of these sites from a historical, religious and cultural viewpoint.

The "dual loyalty" of some of the Palestinian residents who vote for the PNA has suggested the motivation behind the bill.

Haaretz reported that Ezra had frozen work on the bill due to the ongoing peace talks between Israel and the PNA.

Criticism has come from Israelis and Palestinians alike. Yahab Zuhair, an Occupied Jerusalem tour guide, said, "This is a dangerous law.

"It is a slippery slope," Zuhair said.