From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Interior minister to meet Ra’am chief in effort to solve Palestinian reunification law spat
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Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked is set to meet with Ra’am party leader Mansour Abbas soon in a further effort to solve a crisis regarding the extension of the Palestinian family reunification law.
The Knesset vote on the move has been delayed several times, and yesterday it was again pushed off from today to next Monday, July 5, due to disagreements within the coalition. The law, which blocks the automatic granting of citizenship to Palestinians who marry Israeli citizens, expires on July 6.
Some members of the Islamist Ra’am have vowed to oppose the extension, with its MK Walid Taha calling it “racist and anti-democratic,” and so have members of the left-wing Meretz and Labor parties.
Members of Likud and other opposition parties support the reunification bill in principle, but have vowed to oppose it in order to embarrass the government. They have conditioned their support on the passage of a quasi-constitutional bill that would overhaul the immigration system in Israel, and ease the way for a greater number of deportations.
Shaked reportedly threatened MKs in Ra’am and Meretz yesterday that if they don’t support the legislation, the coalition will work to advance the opposition-pushed Basic Law on immigration.
The Times of Israel Community.