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Last update - 19:24 06/05/2008 Court orders state to explain why citizenship law won't be reversed By Tomer Zarchin, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: citizenship law  The High Court of Justice issued an order Tuesday requiring the state to explain within 60 days why it refuses to overturn the citizenship law, which prevents Palestinians married to Israeli Arabs from gaining Israeli citizenship. The petition on the matter was submitted by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, and several individuals who were personally penalized by the law. Among the petitioners was also Meretz MK Zahava Gal-On. The state of Israel generally grants citizenship to spouses of Israelis in a gradual process. In the spirit of this process, a similar process was instituted for the naturalization of spouses of permanent residents, though the process is a little longer. A 2002 temporary order excluded Palestinian spouses from these processes and barred them from becoming Israeli citizens. Advertisement In May 2006, the High Court rejected numerous petitions asking to overturn the citizenship law. However, most of the justices wrote that the law constitutes a violation of basic rights, mainly the right to a family life. In March 2007, in a hearing surrounding later petitions against the law, the state said that an amended version of the temporary order was expected to be approved by the Knesset, and the court consequently ruled that the petitioners would have to revise their petitions in accordance with the amended orders after they were made public. After the hearing, the amended law was made public, and the petitioners maintained that the new version not only extended the validity of the law until July 2008, it also expanded the geographic jurisdiction of the law, making it applicable to spouses from Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq as well as other areas on which the government was free to decide. Another amendment in the law was the establishment of an exceptions committee to approve special cases of humanitarian naturalization. The amendment stresses, however, that a partnership and the existence of shared children do not qualify as a situation requiring special humanitarian naturalization. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Nakba protest World Likud chief calls for cancellation of Nakba Day procession. Perfect match TA court sentences 'DNA Rapist' to 25 years in prison.   1.   Because we are an Apartheid country.... 19:47  |  Sarah Gerber 06/05/08   2.   Because they are enemies. Use common sense! 19:57  |  McQueen 06/05/08   3.   Sarah Gerber is Right 20:00  |  Moshe 06/05/08   4.   Enemies will not be accepted 20:50  |  judith 06/05/08   5.   Citizenship in Arab and Muslims Countries 20:55  |  Reality Check 06/05/08   6.   arabs enjoy freedoms in Israel found nowhere else in Middle east. 21:00  |  Avram 06/05/08   7.   Middle East`s Only Democracy???? 21:04  |  dan 06/05/08   8.   Correction: Reality Check is right :) 21:25  |  John 06/05/08   9.   # 2 21:33  |  Axel 06/05/08   10.   Calling Israelis hypocrites gives normal hypocrites a bad name 21:49  |  Natallie Durson 06/05/08   11.   # 6 avram and comparisons 22:01  |  Axel 06/05/08   12.   Killing Cupid 22:12  |  Aphemia 06/05/08   13.   Axel okay I`m convinced 22:26  |  Avram 06/05/08   14.   the forked tounge 22:35  |  billy jack 06/05/08   15.   "They pray for our death day and night,let them reunite family in 22:52  |  Absolute Sweden 06/05/08   16.   During WW II, German Americans were followed by FBI 23:13  |  Yitzhak 06/05/08   17.   The isrealites have truely lost their way 23:35  |  Realist 06/05/08   18.   60 years on a racist project rumbles toward end 23:44  |  Labhras 06/05/08   19.   #6 Avram 23:50  |  Labhras 06/05/08   20.   marry a Canadian 00:00  |  peter 07/05/08   21.   The real fact is that the courts are out of control 00:10  |  Gee 07/05/08   22.   dan #7 00:12  |  Gee 07/05/08   23.   How to answer? 02:50  |  Mark Lincoln 07/05/08   24.   Labhras, what are you talking about Mr. IQ less than 70 03:07  |  Avram 07/05/08   25.   #5 Thank you, RealityCheck!!!! 06:04  |  Susan 07/05/08   26.   avram 24 19:31  |  potobac 07/05/08

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