Israel’s Cabinet extended regulations limiting citizenship eligibility for Palestinians who marry Israelis. By a vote of 16-2 on Sunday, a cap placed on the Civic Law in 2002 was approved. That means that only about half of some 1,200 “mixed” families divided by the past four and a half years of violence can be reunited. Israeli officials called the measure a security precaution meant to prevent the infiltration of potential terrorists from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but some observers suggest there is another motive: reducing the demographic threat posed by the growing Arab population in Israel. The measure was opposed by Interior Minister Ofir Pines-Paz, who is in charge of immigration permits. “Human rights are certainly being violated here, including of Israeli citizens,” he told Army Radio. “This is a law that is completely inequitable, that differentiates between Jewish citizens and Arab citizens.” Other critics said the law essentially grants Palest! inians the “right of return” they demand. The decision “confirms the ‘right of return’ by the back door, and poses an existential danger to Israel,” Shas Party Chairman Eli Yishai said.
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