The Meretz party is supporting non-Orthodox conversion to Judaism as part of its election platform.

Israel's current Law of Return currently recognizes only Orthodox conversions that occur in Israel.

Conservative and Reform conversions are only recognized by the state if they took place outside of the state's borders.

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Meretz is hoping that its support of non-Orthodox conversion in Israel will improve Meretz's popularity among the 300,000 "mixed" couples in Israel, most of whom are immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

In the past, conversion, marriage, divorce, and burial law has been exclusively controlled by religious parties.

The Meretz platform states: "The child of either a Jewish father or Jewish mother will be considered a Jew. In addition, a convert who has joined the Jewish nation through either an Orthodox or non-Orthodox procedure will be considered a Jew."

Jewish law only considers the children of Jewish mothers to be Jews.

"Anyone who shows an interest in joining the Jewish religion and nation, defines himself as a Jew, speaks Hebrew, wants to live in Israel, and is acquainted with Jewish history and culture will be recognized as a Jew," according to the Meretz platform.

Dr. Zvia Greenfeld, the lone ultra-Orthodox candidate on Meretz's Knesset list said, "Anyone who views themselves as a son or daughter of the Jewish nation has the rights to all citizenship privileges."

"The definition of the Jewish nation is much broader and more flexible than in the past, since religious affiliation is no longer the nation's unifying element," Greenfeld added, "There are other aspects such as Jewish collective memory, attachment to tradition, and a feeling of national belonging. The definitions from a hundred years no longer apply today."

Meretz is also proposing passing a law that would give Israeli citizenship to the children of non-Jewish foreign workers who live in Israel.