Government Fails To Update Population Law, Palestinians Can Apply For Israeli Citizenship

Illustration of Israeli soldiers passing among Palestinians. (Wikimedia Commons/Justin McIntosh)

JAKARTA - Palestinians who are married to Israeli citizens but have not been able to obtain Israeli citizenship or residency are preparing to apply for such status.

This was done in line with the failure of amendments to the Citizenship Act by the Israeli government this week. The process of applying for citizenship status is carried out through the Ministry of Home Affairs.

NGOs, including civil rights group Hamoked, began applying for citizenship and residency on behalf of their clients, encouraging others to do so as well.

Currently, there are approximately 9,200 Palestinians married to Arab Israelis who have the most basic 'residence permit', which allows them to stay in the country, but must be renewed every year or two, and another 3,500 who due to special circumstances may obtain temporary residence visa, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post Friday 9 July.

Until now, the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Act 2003, prevented Palestinians married to Arab citizens of Israel, from obtaining citizenship through naturalization, as is available to spouses of other Israeli foreign nationals.

Palestinian family illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Justin McIntosh)

The law was passed on security grounds and was later extended to Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis and Iranians married to Israelis, the Jerusalem Post quoted Friday, July 9 as saying.

But the law has been criticized by human rights groups as discriminatory and on humanitarian grounds, and opposed by coalition partners Ra'am and Meretz.

Although a compromise was found, two Ra'am MK abstained, while Yamina MK option Amichai Shikli voted against, the law was overturned.

This means that Palestinians married to Israeli citizens can now start the application process through the Ministry of the Interior, for citizenship or residency like any other foreign national.

They will be able to apply for a B1 visa, then an A5 temporary residence visa and finally for citizenship if they do not live in east Jerusalem.

Jessica Montell, executive director of the Israeli human rights organization HaMoked, said her organization represents about 400 families and has started submitting visa applications for them to the Interior Ministry.

Israel - Palestine Borders (Wikimedia Commons/Harry Pockets0

"In some families, it's not only the spouse who needs to find a place to live, the children also need it," he said.

Asked whether the ministry might delay processing applications while the government considers new measures, Montell insisted, "Ministries have no right to procrastinate, they have to respect people's rights," he stressed.

He said the standard processing time for requests to government authorities is 45 days. If the client does not receive a response within that time, they will take the matter to court.

"The ministry cannot ignore this request for one year in the hope that a new law is passed," Montell said.

"Israelis are as safe as they were before the law expired. The authorities still have all the necessary tools to prevent dangerous people from entering the country, but without this law we would be a little more free and equal," Montell criticized.

"Without this law, all citizens and residents of Israel have the same right to fall in love and start a family, and that's good news for this family and for all those who care about human rights," he said.

However, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked has said she intends to bring the bill back to the Knesset (Israel's Parliament) for a vote in the coming weeks, so that it can be approved and the citizenship pathway, as Montell said, can be closed soon.