Noam chief says he will follow the law when in charge of Soviet immigration

Noam head Avi Maoz says that he will follow the law when he takes responsibility for Nativ, despite pushing to tighten the eligibility under which it operates.

Nativ is responsible for processing immigration applications under the Law of Return from citizens of the former Soviet Union, many of whom are not Jewish but apply under the current law’s grandchild clause, which entitles the grandchildren of Jews to citizenship.

“Entering Israel is according to law. We will act according to the law. All Jews are able to immigrate,” Maoz says.

“We will make sure that people who according to law aren’t permitted to immigrate” cannot immigrate, he adds.

On Sunday, Maoz signed an agreement with Likud to take Nativ under his control as part of a new department responsible for Jewish identity, to be housed in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Maoz declines reporter requests to expand on the new department’s additional areas of responsibility, budgets, personnel, and plans.

Maoz similarly refused to day as to whether he has concrete plans to push policy against Israel’s LGBTQ community, in line with his Noam party’s hardline homophobic positions.

“When I speak against [something], I don’t speak against a specific person, I speak against ideas and phenomena,” he says, adding that he did not put his plan to block pride parades among his coalition demands from Likud.