Bill Blocking Path to Citizenship for Palestinian Spouses of Israelis Passes 1st Reading

The citizenship and entry into Israel bill that would make deny citizenship to Palestinians who marry Arab Israelis passed in its first reading in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Monday. A bill must pass three readings to become law. Positions for and against the bill cut across coalition and opposition lines, making for an unusual political situation in which some coalition and opposition politicians joined forces to get it passed while others in both the coalition and opposition opposed the bill or sat out the vote. The right of spouses of Israeli citizens to gain citizenship through a naturalization process, known as “family reunification,” was first denied to Palestinian spouses in 2003, at the height of the Second Intifada, on security grounds. The ban was renewed annually until last year, when it failed to gain coalition approval. MKs in right-wing opposition parties refused to cooperate with the government to pass the bill, in an attempt to embarrass the government.

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