Really? According to winger media, Obama was busing Arabs to the polls.
Acquisition of citizenship[edit]
Law of Return[edit]
The
Law of Return grants all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel and almost automatic Israeli
citizenship upon arrival in Israel. In the 1970s the Law of Return was expanded to grant the same rights to the spouse of a Jew, the children of a Jew and their spouses, and the grandchildren of a Jew and their spouses, provided that the Jew did not practice a religion other than Judaism willingly. In 1999, the
Supreme Court of Israel ruled that Jews or the descendants of Jews that actively practice a religion other than Judaism are not entitled to immigrate to Israel as they would no longer be considered Jews under the Law of Return, irrespective of their status under
halacha (Jewish religious law). On April 16, 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in a case brought by a number of people with Jewish fathers and grandfathers whose applications for citizenship had been rejected on the grounds that they were Messianic Jews. The argument was made by the applicants that they had never been Jews according to halakha, and were not therefore excluded by the conversion clause. This argument was upheld in the ruling, and the government agreed to reprocess their applications.
Israeli law distinguishes between the Law of Return, which allows for Jews and their descendants to immigrate to Israel, and Israel's nationality law, which formally grants Israeli citizenship. In other words, the Law of Return does not itself determine Israeli citizenship; it merely allows for Jews and their eligible descendants to permanently live in Israel. Israel does, however, grant citizenship to those who immigrated under the Law of Return if the applicant so desires.
A non-Israeli Jew or an eligible descendant of a non-Israeli Jew needs to request approval to immigrate to Israel, a request which can be denied for a variety of reasons including (but not limited to) possession of a criminal record, currently infected with a contagious disease, or otherwise viewed as a threat to Israeli society. Eligible applicants under the Law of Return have no claim to any of the rights or privileges of an Israeli citizen until they are formally granted Israeli citizenship. This is possible after one year of residency in Israel. New arrivals are issued an Israeli Travel Document during this year, after which they can apply for citizenship.
Citizenship by residence[edit]
Citizenship by residence was intended for non-Jewish
denizens of the
British Mandate of Palestine (Arabs, Druze, Bedouins, etc.) who were considered to be associated with Palestine during the period immediately prior to the
1948 Arab-Israeli War. Such denizens who were still within the territorial confines of Israel after the war were granted full Israeli citizenship. In order to determine who was eligible for citizenship under this provision, the state of Israel conducted a population registration in 1952 and again in the 1980s. Those found to meet the requirements obtained Israeli citizenship. For purposes regarding modern Israeli citizenship, this section is usually irrelevant.
Citizenship by descent[edit]
A child of an Israeli citizen (including children born outside of Israel as first generation out of Israel) is considered an Israeli citizen. Persons born outside Israel are Israeli citizens if their father or mother holds Israeli citizenship, acquired either by birth in Israel, according to the Law of Return, by residence, or by naturalization.
[2]
Citizenship by descent, on the principle of
jus sanguinis, is limited to only one generation born abroad. Despite this limitation, descendants of an Israeli national born abroad may be eligible to Israeli citizenship through other methods, such as the Law of Return.
Naturalization[edit]
Adults may acquire Israeli citizenship through
naturalization. To be eligible for naturalization, a person must have resided in Israel for three years out of the previous five years. In addition, the applicant must have a right to reside in Israel on a permanent basis. All naturalization requests are, however, at the discretion of the Minister of the Interior. The
Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law of 2003 suspended this practice in the case of citizens of a number of countries, which some have termed "enemy nationals". In January 2012, the
Supreme Court of Israel upheld the validity of the law.
[3]
Citizenship by marriage[edit]
Israel traditionally automatically granted citizenship to spouses of Jewish Israeli citizens by virtue of the Law of Return. However, this practice was suspended in 1999 due to immigration concerns if the Jewish spouse had done Aliyah previous to the marriage or is an Israeli citizen by birth.
Process for Obtaining Citizenship By Descent[edit]
From inside Israel the Israeli parent(s) must go to the Misrad Hapnim (Ministry of the Interior) with the child and the child's original birth certificate that lists the Israeli parent(s) as the parents of the child. In addition the Israeli parent(s) need to bring their Teudat Zehut (National ID) or their Israeli Passport and the child's foreign passport.
[4] If the parents are not married or did not register their marriage with Misrad Hapnim, or Misrad HaChutz (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) both of the parents must be in attendance at Misrad HaPnim.
[5] After all of the information is verified the child will be issued a Mispar Zehut (Identity Number) and an Israeli Passport. If the child is 16 years old he/she will also receive a Teudat Zehut.
[6] It is important to note that in Israel there is no separation of religion and state.
[7] All citizens must register their religion with Misrad Hapnim in the Population Registry. If the mother is not Jewish by Orthodox standards than the child can not be registered as Jewish, nor can the child be married to a Jewish person inside of Israel.
[8]
Cancellation of citizenship[edit]
There are cases in which the state can initiate a cancellation of citizenship of an Israeli citizen. Article 11 of the Israeli nationality law establishes three circumstances for which citizenship can be revoked:
- If the person entered a state which is considered an enemy of Israel, or obtained citizenship of an enemy state.
- If the person committed an act which is considered a breach of loyalty to the country.
- If the person's citizenship was given to him/her on the basis of false information. In such a case, the revocation might also apply to the citizenship of the person's children.
A 2008 amendment to the
Nationality Law of 1952 designated 9 countries as enemy states:
Afghanistan,
Iran,
Pakistan,
Iraq,
Lebanon,
Libya,
Sudan,
Syria, and
Yemen, as well as the
Gaza Strip.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_nationality_law
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/pages/acquisition of israeli nationality.aspx
As I understand it, most Palestinians who request Israeli Citizenship are from East Jerusalem and do so out a of fear of being thrown out of their homes and made refugees.