Israeli government defeat over citizenship

ISRAEL’S new government suffered a blow yesterday after it failed to extend a family law that prevents West Bank and Gaza Palestinians who marry Israelis from receiving citizenship.

The vote was scuppered by a member of prime minister Naftali Bennett’s own Right-wing Yamina party, resulting in a 59-59 tie in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.

A compromise was reached last night whereby the law would be extended by only six months rather than a year. However, the motion failed to pass at the eleventh hour due to a rebellion by politician Amichai Chikli.

The result is an embarrassment for Mr Bennett, who took office on June 13, and illustrates the fragility of his coalition, which draws support from across the political spectrum.

The law was due to expire at midnight last night and is expected to trigger more than 10,000 Palestinian applications for Israeli citizenship.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister ousted by Mr Bennett last month, had also opposed the law as part of his ongoing efforts to bring down the new government. “With all due respect for this law, the importance of toppling the government is greater,” Mr Netanyahu said.

“This isn’t just a law. It’s a law that exposes the fault line in this government, whose purpose is to advance an anti-zionist agenda.”

However, the failure to pass the motion does give hope to Arab families who have been badly affected by the citizenship law, which Israel says protects its national security.

This is because the law makes it difficult for Arab Israelis to bring spouses from the Palestinian territories into Israel. While male spouses over 35 and female spouses over 25 can apply for a permit in Israel, it does not grant them health insurance or driving licences and excludes them from employment.

Palestinian spouses from Gaza have been banned since Hamas took power there in 2007. The law does not apply to the 500,000 Jewish settlers who live in the West Bank, who have full Israeli citizenship. Under Israel’s Law of Return, Jews who come to Israel from anywhere in the world are eligible for citizenship.