Issued on: 05/07/2021 -
Israeli Arabs protest outside parliament against the controversial Citizenship and Entry law ahead of a vote by the Knesset to renew the legislation Menahem KAHANA AFP
Jerusalem (AFP)
Israel's government faced internal divisions Monday as it sought to renew a controversial ban on its Arab citizens extending citizenship to their Palestinian spouses in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
The measure first enacted in 2003 during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, is justified by supporters on security grounds but critics deride it as discriminatory measure targeting Israel's 20 percent Arab minority.
The ban, which expires on Tuesday, has been repeatedly renewed with little attention for nearly two decades but its extension is now in doubt after an ideologically disparate coalition was sworn in last month.
The coalition which counts eight parties from across the political spectrum controls 61 seats in Israel's 120 member Knesset, or parliament, and cannot afford defections as it seeks to pass legislation.
Two coalition parties, dovish Meretz and conservative Islamic Raam party, have indicated they will vote against the measure supported by hardline religious nationalist Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
The premier has called for backing from the right-wing parties in opposition, led Benjamin Netanyahu, his former mentor who Bennett dramatically ousted from power last month.
"There are points where, despite everything, the opposition too must show national responsibility," Bennett said Monday ahead of a vote on the extension.
"I call on my friends at the opposition. There are things you don't play with: The state's security is a red line, and the state needs control on who enters it and who gets citizenship in it.
"The entry of thousands of Palestinians and giving them (Israeli) citizenship... is simply not the right thing to do," he said.
Netanyahu, who has made clear he will seek a return to the premier's office if the coalition falls, has refused to help pass the bill.
"You are the government, the responsibility is yours," he said.
"You cannot form a government that is based on anti-Zionist forces (a reference to Raam) and them come to us and tell us to save you from this fracture and failure," Netanyahu added.
The controversial measure has caused endless complications for Palestinians that span across Israel and territories it has occupied since 1967.
In a series of protests against the measure outside the Knesset on Monday, some recounted the hardships of seeking permits to join their spouses, or the risks of entering Israeli territory without permission.
Ali Meteb told AFP that his wife not having Israeli residency rights had confined his family to a "continuous prison".
"I am asking for rights that the state owes us... for my wife to have Israeli ID, residency rights and freedom of movement," he said.
© 2021 AFP
Jerusalem (AFP)
Israel's government faced internal divisions Monday as it sought to renew a controversial ban on its Arab citizens extending citizenship to their Palestinian spouses in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
The measure first enacted in 2003 during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, is justified by supporters on security grounds but critics deride it as discriminatory measure targeting Israel's 20 percent Arab minority.
The ban, which expires on Tuesday, has been repeatedly renewed with little attention for nearly two decades but its extension is now in doubt after an ideologically disparate coalition was sworn in last month.
The coalition which counts eight parties from across the political spectrum controls 61 seats in Israel's 120 member Knesset, or parliament, and cannot afford defections as it seeks to pass legislation.
Two coalition parties, dovish Meretz and conservative Islamic Raam party, have indicated they will vote against the measure supported by hardline religious nationalist Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
The premier has called for backing from the right-wing parties in opposition, led Benjamin Netanyahu, his former mentor who Bennett dramatically ousted from power last month.
"There are points where, despite everything, the opposition too must show national responsibility," Bennett said Monday ahead of a vote on the extension.
"I call on my friends at the opposition. There are things you don't play with: The state's security is a red line, and the state needs control on who enters it and who gets citizenship in it.
"The entry of thousands of Palestinians and giving them (Israeli) citizenship... is simply not the right thing to do," he said.
Netanyahu, who has made clear he will seek a return to the premier's office if the coalition falls, has refused to help pass the bill.
"You are the government, the responsibility is yours," he said.
"You cannot form a government that is based on anti-Zionist forces (a reference to Raam) and them come to us and tell us to save you from this fracture and failure," Netanyahu added.
The controversial measure has caused endless complications for Palestinians that span across Israel and territories it has occupied since 1967.
In a series of protests against the measure outside the Knesset on Monday, some recounted the hardships of seeking permits to join their spouses, or the risks of entering Israeli territory without permission.
Ali Meteb told AFP that his wife not having Israeli residency rights had confined his family to a "continuous prison".
"I am asking for rights that the state owes us... for my wife to have Israeli ID, residency rights and freedom of movement," he said.
© 2021 AFP
No comments:
Post a Comment