ISRAEL EXTENDS THE BANS OF PALESTINIANS MARRIED TO ISRAELIS FROM LIVING IN ISRAEL
A Palestinian youth places a flag on the Israeli wall during a protest marking 9 years for the struggle against the wall in the West Bank village of Bilin, February 28, 2014.</p>
Tel Aviv, 5 Ramadhan 1436/22 June 2015 (MINA) – Israel’s Knesset has extended a law that bans Palestinians married to Israelis from living with their spouses in Israel for another year.
The law was first passed in 2003 and extended in 2008, and forbids Palestinians married to Israelis from living in Israel, or becoming Israeli citizens, Al-Ray Palestinian News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
Many critics say that the law essentially makes marriage between Israelis and Palestinians impossible, as the couple would have to live in different countries that are very difficult to pass between.
It explained that the law was first introduced as what it called a temporary security measure that would only last for a year, aimed at preventing potential “terrorists” coming into Israel through marriage.
However, the law has been renewed every year since, with the most recent extension being voted for by 57 Members of the Knesset (MKs) on Monday, with 20 votes against and five abstentions.
However, the process by which the law will be renewed in future has been changed. Previously, it has been voted on in the Knesset like any other piece of legislation.
Now, a hearing authorized by the Foreign Affairs and Military Committee and the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee will take place before the law is due to be extended. The law will be discussed in depth before it reaches the Knesset for a vote.(T/R05/R03)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
