Less than a week remains until the end of the mandate Benjamin Netanyahu received to form the government, and one of the most sensitive disputed issues between him and his partners in the future coalition has not yet been resolved. The right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties insist on amending the Law of Return in order to reduce the immigration of non-Jews to Israel, while Netanyahu strongly opposes this and even stated in an interview that the "grandchild clause", by virtue of which they receive Israeli citizenship, will not be repealed.
The Israeli law of return is considered a basic law in Israeli legislation that ensures all Jews with at least a quarter of Jewish ancestry will be permitted to become citizens of Israel. The law is based on the Nazi de-facto policy which seeks to murder anyone with as little as a quarter of Jewish blood. However, in recent decades, many non-Jews according to Jewish Halachic law have been using Israeli law to immigrate and receive all the thousands of Shekels in benefits that come with it.
"Around 70% of former USSR Olim would not be considered Jewish'
ā i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) December 15, 2022
Arkadiy, a recent immigrant from Russia to Israel, and Ze'ev Khanin of Bar Ilan University discuss the possible changes to Israel's Law of Return #ZoomIn | @arielmaraglith pic.twitter.com/ayuYqDKlkh
The Likud is now formulating a compromise proposal, according to which the law will be changed so that third-generation Jewish descendants can enter the country - but will be granted the status of permanent residents and will not be accepted as full citizens.
One of the leaders of the apparent compromise outline, which is working to promote it among senior Likud officials, is attorney Naria Meir, chairman of the Diaspora Department of the World Zionist Organization and a well-known figure in the Likud party. By virtue of his work with Jewish communities around the world, he is aware of the great sensitivity of the issue and the devastating effect it may have on their relations with the State of Israel and is trying to bridge the gap between the parties.
Israel's proposed change to Law of Return raises opposition https://t.co/VHQ0Z4akfr via @ynet
ā Aryeh (@AryehsSharings) December 15, 2022
Meir, who has already discussed the issue with Likud leaders, believes Jews' grandchildren should continue to be accepted in the country, but their status should be lowered from immigrant status to permanent resident to ensure that those applying to come are indeed descendants who have ties to the Jewish people, and not "hitchhikers" trying to take advantage of the law to emigrate from their country for other reasons.
According to his opinion, if those grandchildren are not entitled to the absorption basket provided to them today, which is estimated at tens of thousands of shekels, immigrating to Israel will no longer be a financial temptation, and in any case, those who come through its gates will do so for pure Jewish and Zionist reasons.
Israel is a Jewish state for Jews not those looking for better lives while worshipping Xmas!
ā Avi (@Avichaivegas) December 16, 2022
"The reality is much more complex than black-and-white solutions," Meir told Israeli reporters in a statement. "We must not throw the baby out with the bathwater. These are our brothers, and the State of Israel was established for the Jewish people - not just for those who live here," he said. "We have a responsibility towards all Jews, in Israel and in the Diaspora."
