Bennett meets with Ra’am’s Abbas to hash out family unification law deal

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is meeting with Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas in a bid to come to an agreement on a bill to extend an order clamping down on Palestinians gaining Israeli citizenship or residency through marriage, Walla news reports.

Also at the meeting are Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked (Yamina), Housing minister Zeev Elkin (New Hope), and coalition whips Idit Silman (Yamina) and Boaz Toporosky (Yesh Atid).

Abbas has balked at supporting the measure, meaning the coalition will fall short of needed support for the measure without opposition backing. However, the opposition has refused to back the measure, despite supporting it ideologically, in order to embarrass the new government.

The measure, which has been in place since 2003 and must be renewed every year, will expire in a week and a half.

Coalition lawmakers may offer to water down the language of the bill to gain Abbas’s support, according to reports.