Wake Up Palestine – The Israeli Law could tear Palestinian families apart.
Jerusalem24 – We have written extensively on the Israeli Citizenship and Entry Law over the past year, and last Thursday the law was voted upon and improved in its third session in the Israeli Knesset.
We’ve also explained what the Citizenship and Entry law is, and how it was designed to deny legal status under Israeli citizenship and residency laws.
When the law was first introduced back in 2003 as a temporary measure, the Israeli government claimed that the immigration of Palestinians through marriage generated an increased security risk; while failing to provide any proof. However, it did prevent Palestinians to change their address from one region to another.
Ever since the temporary law was extended each year into the next; the only way to unite your family was to apply for family unification at the Israeli Ministry of Interior, even though the law prevented applications from being processed.
When Naftali Bennet’s government coalition failed to extend the law last July, Israeli Minister of Interior Ayelet Shaked gave instructions to her staff at the ministry to refrain from processing and considering requests.
The law has always been a source of fear and concerns for Palestinians in what is called “mixed-families,” Jerusalem24 had reached out in the past and spoke with some families facing the difficulties of navigating around the Citizenship and Entry Law. Now those fears are more pronounced since last week the law was voted upon in its third Knesset session.
With regards to the law, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel – Adalah said in a statement that “the law preventing family unification is one of the most racist laws in the world, as there is no country in the world that prevents its citizens from exercising their right to form a family based on national or ethnic affiliation.”
In this episode of Wake-Up Palestine, Jessica Montell once again speaks about the Citizenship and Entry Law. What it means to Palestinian families and what comes next.
