Police arrested a Palestinian couple on Wednesday on suspicion of living under a false Israeli identity for over 20 years, in the longest-lasting case of identity fraud known to authorities.

The couple led a double life between the West Bank and Rahat, a Bedouin city in the Negev, and had several children born in Israel, according to police.

“It appears this is the longest-running case of impersonation under a fake identity that Israel has known over its 78 years of existence,” said Supt. Barak Revivo, a West Bank District police detective.

Police believe the 57-year-old husband, from the West Bank city of Halhul, possessed a family reunification permit that allowed him to reside periodically in Rahat. These temporary permits, given to Palestinian family members of Israeli citizens, do not grant formal residency status.

The man married his wife, a 43-year-old from the same West Bank city, over two decades ago, and the pair resolved to fraudulently obtain an identity card that would allow them to live together in Israel.

As part of the scheme, the couple allegedly divorced on paper. The husband then married an Israeli citizen from Arara whom he had never met, and the wife took on the Israeli woman’s identity.

Police believe the couple purchased the woman’s identity, and are trying to ascertain what has become of her.

Officers raided the suspects’ homes Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, arresting the couple and two other family members suspected of assisting in the alleged fraud.

According to law enforcement, the wife was called by her given name while residing in Halhul, but switched over to the Israeli woman’s name whenever she was within Israel’s recognized borders. Police believe that the couple’s extended family was aware of the years-long impersonation.

Law enforcement began probing the suspicions in late 2025 alongside the National Insurance Institute, since the husband and wife are also suspected of having fraudulently received state benefits by virtue of faking Israeli citizenship.

The couple’s detention has been extended by a judge until May 3. The investigation is ongoing, as police attempt to trace the woman whose identity was purchased and used by the pair.

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