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Families belong together!
Email from Sharon Abraham-Weiss, ACRI
sharonaw@acri.org.il



Dear friends,

Earlier this year, a child born in an Israeli hospital to a mother with
Israeli citizenship was denied a birth certificate because his father is a
resident of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. During the first and most
critical months of his life, the child was denied health services, as his
parents scrambled to receive the proper documentation.

Sadly, this is not an exception, but the rule. The Citizenship and Entry
into Israel Law prohibits the spouse of an Israeli citizen from acquiring
legal status and access to rights in Israel solely for being from the West
Bank or Gaza.

Today, as Knesset members seek a compromise over the Citizenship and Entry
into Israel Law, there are thousands of people living in Israel who are
denied their full rights and live under constant fear of separation. The
political stalemate surrounding this issue isn`t just about power—it`s about
the fundamental rights to family life and equality.

Many are hearing about this phenomenon for the first time as the government
struggles to come to a consensus on the law. ACRI has been fighting against
it for the past two decades, filing petitions for its repeal in 2002, 2003,
2006 and 2012.

The law`s official purpose is to prevent the entry of potential security
threats into Israel—but, in practice, the policy disproportionately violates
the rights of Arab citizens of Israel and deprives their spouses of
acquiring legal status and rights, including access to health insurance,
social security, drivers licenses, education, and employment. The majority
of those effected are women, who live in fear of immediate deportation and
separation from their children.
Join Us
Since then, ACRI has been fighting case-by-case legal battles to chip away
at the discriminatory effects of this law, including:

* Appealing to the Director of the Population and Immigration Authority
demanding they automatically renew family-unification permits for
Palestinians living in Israel.

* Petitioning the High Court demanding that social rights be granted to
Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens and residents.

* Appealing to the Minister of Defense and acting Deputy Head of the Legal
Aid Division demanding that Arab citizens and their Palestinian spouses
receive legal aid and representation in matters regarding status.

* Filing a petition against the Population and Immigration Authority
demanding that they stop requiring Israeli citizens related to residents of
the Occupied Territories to prove that their life is based in Israel as a
condition for receiving registration and documentation services.

Whatever decision the government comes to, we will continue to represent the
most vulnerable and demand equal rights for all—will you join us in this
fight?

Continued thanks,
Sharon


Adv. Sharon Abraham-Weiss
Executive Director
Association for Civil Rights in Israel
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