The new Israeli government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett suffered its first significant setback on Tuesday when it was unable to achieve enough votes to extend legislation that effectively bans Palestinian people from Gaza and the West Bank married to Israelis from becoming citizens. Furthermore, the coalition government agreed to amend to alter the law to permit sixteen hundred Palestinians living in Israel residency visas while allowing them for a 6-month extension to find productive solutions for severe Palestinians living in Israel.

1. Israel’s parliament has failed to pass an extension to a controversial law that bans citizenship or permanent residency for Palestinians from West Bank or Gaza if they marry Israelis.

The vote was tied 59 to 59 after an all-night debate session. The law expires on July 6. pic.twitter.com/SKXA6xnlDb

— BFM News (@NewsBFM) July 6, 2021

However, the government failed to approve the Knesset with representatives equal voting such as 59-59 after the opposition Likud Party and its coalition parties against extending the ordinance, in a move intended to offend the new alliance government, even though in principle the party supports the regulation. A rogue member ruling the Yamina party also voted against the law.

The Islamist Ra’am party, usually known as the United Arab List, splits its votes with two members voting for the procedure of legislation, and two nonparticipation, thus denying the coalition a majority. Furthermore, the law dates back to 2003 and was initially introduced as a momentary law. Later, it expanded to ban Palestinians from Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon from becoming citizens through Israeli spouses. However, spouses over some specific age can receive the annual permits that permit them to live in Israel without offering them a way to citizenship.

Israel – the only Jewish State

Several years, it approves an extension of the law in parliament without much fanfare. On the other hand, critics of the law say that it is a discriminatory policy that divides family members. While supporters say it is compulsory for the security of Israel over concerns that would-be terrorists would intentionally become citizens of Israel to perform attacks more efficiently and to preserve the status of Israel as the only Jewish state.

Without the law approval, the interior minister of Israel will need to look at every case individually to decide whether to accept each citizenship request. The new coalition government could call up the law for another vote at any time because it is a temporary ordinance, though it hasn’t still said how it plans to go ahead. Moreover, the Citizenship and Entry Law initially approved in 2003, at the time of the 2nd Palestinian intifada, or uprising, when militants of Palestine were executing attacks inside Israel. The officials renewed it each year since the mentioning of security concerns.

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