ISRAELI SUPREME COURT TO HEAR CITIZENSHIP LAW CASE
(Shafa'amr, Israel – 1 May 2008) - On Monday 5 May 2008 at 4 pm, an expanded panel of seven justices of the Israeli Supreme Court will hear four petitions challenging the Citizenship Law. This new law, enacted in March 2007, expands the scope of the existing law, a temporary order which was originally passed in July 2003. The new law not only prevents family unification between citizens of the State of Israel and Palestinian residents of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), but also bans foreign spouses who are residents or citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria or Lebanon, defined in the law as "enemy states". Moreover, the ban also applies to “anyone living in an area in which operations that constitute a threat to the State of Israel are being carried out,” according to security reports presented to the government. The new law is valid until 31 July 2008.
In May 2007, Adalah petitioned the Supreme Court on behalf of two Arab families against the Interior Ministry challenging the constitutionality of the law and demand its cancellation. The petitioners also demanded that family unification status be determined free of discrimination on the basis on nationality. Adalah further argued in the petition that the new law prevents Palestinian citizens of Israel from having contact with their families and members of the Arab nation and the Palestinian people in breach of international human rights law. Adalah's General Director Attorney Hassan Jabareen and Adalah Attorney Sawsan Zaher will represent the petitioners before the court.
The seven-justice panel of the Supreme Court which will hear the case is comprised of Chief Justice Beinisch, Deputy Chief Justice Rivlin, and Justices Procaccia, Levy, Gronis, Naor and Jubran. The four petitions pending before the court were filed by MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz), the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Adalah, and HaMoked: The Center for the Defence of the Individual. Citation: H.C. 830/07, Adalah v. The Minister of the Interior, et al.
