Israeli government fails to pass 'racist' family unification law

The Israeli coalition government led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett failed to extend a controversial law known as family unification, which bans Palestinian families living in Israel or occupied territories from reuniting, according to Israeli media.

NEWS IN ENGLISH 06.07.2021, 13:33 Pelin Su Tamer

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Israeli government fails to pass 'racist' family unification law

The Knesset session, which started last night to extend the duration of the law that makes family reunion difficult after marriages between Palestinians with Israeli citizenship and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank or the blockaded Gaza Strip, continued until morning.

The extension of the ban failed as it secured only 59 votes out of 120.

Two members of the ruling coalition's United Arab List party refrained from voting in favor of the law, while a member of Prime Minister Bennett's Yamina party voted against it.

The left-wing Meretz party in the Bennett-led coalition and the United Arab List, which represents Israeli Palestinians, have already announced that they would not support the law's extension.

The session was extended as the coalition's leaders held negotiations to discuss differences over the law.

After negotiations, the coalition partners reached a compromise agreement to extend the law for six months instead of one year and to grant citizenship to 1,600 Palestinian families.

The coalition has sent a new request to the Knesset's speaker, asking for a vote on simply extending the statute for six months.

However, the opposition rejected the proposal, claiming that the coalition's solution violated the law's annual regularity, and vowed to vote against it in order to embarrass the coalition government.

Since the adoption of the unification law in 2003, the Knesset has voted annually to extend it.

Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, says the law prevents family unification between Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship and Palestinian citizens who reside in the West Bank and Gaza, in addition to the countries that Israel considers an "enemy state," such as Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran.

Thousands of Palestinians have suffered as a result of the law, which the Israeli government claimed was enacted for security considerations. Palestinians considered the law "racist."

"This law is considered one of the most racist laws in the world, so it should be deleted immediately," Adalah said in a previous written statement.

"There is not a single country in the world that chooses to settle and reunify the husbands and wives of its citizens according to their national and ethnic affiliation, and by classifying them as an enemy," the statement said.

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Takımlar	O	P
1. Galatasaray	34	93
2. Fenerbahçe	34	89
3. Trabzonspor	34	58
4. Başakşehir	34	52
5. Beşiktaş	34	51
6. Kasımpasa	34	49
7. Rizespor	34	49
8. Alanyaspor	34	48
9. Sivasspor	34	48
10. Antalyaspor	33	45
11. A.Demirspor	34	41
12. Kayserispor	34	40
13. Samsunspor	34	39
14. Ankaragücü	34	38
15. Konyaspor	34	36
16. Gaziantep FK	34	34
17. Hatayspor	34	33
18. Karagümrük	33	33
19. Pendikspor	34	30
20. İstanbulspor	34	16

Takımlar	O	P
1. Eyüpspor	32	72
2. Göztepe	32	66
3. Sakaryaspor	32	57
4. Kocaelispor	32	55
5. Ahlatçı Çorum FK	32	55
6. Bodrumspor	32	53
7. Boluspor	32	50
8. Bandırmaspor	32	47
9. Gençlerbirliği	32	47
10. Erzurumspor	32	44
11. Keçiörengücü	32	39
12. Manisa FK	32	37
13. Ümraniye	32	37
14. Şanlıurfaspor	32	34
15. Tuzlaspor	32	34
16. Adanaspor	32	33
17. Altay	32	15
18. Giresunspor	32	7

Takımlar	O	P
1. Arsenal	35	80
2. M.City	34	79
3. Liverpool	35	75
4. Aston Villa	35	67
5. Tottenham	33	60
6. M. United	34	54
7. Newcastle	34	53
8. West Ham United	35	49
9. Chelsea	33	48
10. Bournemouth	35	48
11. Wolves	35	46
12. Brighton	34	44
13. Fulham	35	43
14. Crystal Palace	35	40
15. Everton	35	36
16. Brentford	35	35
17. Nottingham Forest	35	26
18. Luton Town	35	25
19. Burnley	35	24
20. Sheffield United	35	16

Takımlar	O	P
1. Real Madrid	33	84
2. Girona	33	71
3. Barcelona	32	70
4. Atletico Madrid	33	64
5. Athletic Bilbao	33	58
6. Real Sociedad	33	51
7. Real Betis	33	49
8. Valencia	32	47
9. Villarreal	33	45
10. Getafe	33	43
11. Osasuna	33	39
12. Deportivo Alaves	33	38
13. Sevilla	33	38
14. Las Palmas	33	37
15. Rayo Vallecano	33	34
16. Mallorca	33	32
17. Celta Vigo	33	31
18. Cadiz	33	26
19. Granada	33	21
20. Almeria	33	14