Defense Ministry to recognize same-sex and common-law couples

The Defense Ministry will recognize unmarried couples who live in common-law partnerships and they will be able to receive the military service pension funds they would get if they were to marry, attorney Irit Rosenblum, chair and founder of the New Family Organization, says in a statement.

The recognition will extend to same-sex partnerships.

The pensions are “locked” for five years after a conscript has been released from service but can be withdrawn under certain circumstances, among which is marriage to another person.

The other circumstances under which pensions can only be withdrawn are financing academic studies, professional training, buying a house, and opening a business.

With recognition of common-law partnerships as equal to marriage for the sake of withdrawing the pension, including same-sex partnerships, the Defense Ministry is taking a step toward recognition of same-sex partnerships, as well as recognizing couples with other difficulties, like new immigrants from the former Soviet union which are not eligible for marriage because the Chief Rabbinate demands they undergo conversion.

On Sunday, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon was a lone voice among right-wing politicians to express the hope that Israel will follow the US Supreme Court and recognize same-sex marriages.

Rosenbaum says, “I am proud that the defense establishment was wise enough to understand that being a couple is a union deeper than marriage and embodies the loftiest ideals of love, loyalty, devotion, sacrifice and family. When two people become a couple, they also become something bigger than they were before. In a state where marriage is not obvious and for a large part of the public not possible, there is no other option than giving released soldiers living in a couple equal status to that given to married couples.”

The ministry will decide soon on the procedure of recognizing common-law couples, and a team from the New Family Organization will take part in drafting the procedure, the organization says in a statement.