Thursday July 31, 2003 4:39 PM
By GAVIN RABINOWITZ
Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's parliament on Thursday passed a new law that would force Palestinians who marry Israelis to live separate lives or move out of Israel despite charges from human rights groups and Israeli Arabs that the law is racist.
The law would prevent Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip who marry Israeli Arabs from obtaining residency permits in Israel.
The vote was 53 in favor, 25 against and one abstention, a spokeswoman for the parliament said.
``We see this law as the implementation of the transfer policy by the state of Israel,'' said Jafar Savah from Mossawa, an advocacy center for Israeli Arabs, referring to a plan by far right groups to transfer Israeli Arabs to other Arab countries.
Savah said the law was an attempt to legalize unofficial policy that has been in effect since September 2000 when violence broke out and warned that the law would damage relations between Israel and its Arab minority.
Both local and international human rights groups have condemned the law as racist.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2974045,00.html
By GAVIN RABINOWITZ
Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's parliament on Thursday passed a new law that would force Palestinians who marry Israelis to live separate lives or move out of Israel despite charges from human rights groups and Israeli Arabs that the law is racist.
The law would prevent Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip who marry Israeli Arabs from obtaining residency permits in Israel.
The vote was 53 in favor, 25 against and one abstention, a spokeswoman for the parliament said.
``We see this law as the implementation of the transfer policy by the state of Israel,'' said Jafar Savah from Mossawa, an advocacy center for Israeli Arabs, referring to a plan by far right groups to transfer Israeli Arabs to other Arab countries.
Savah said the law was an attempt to legalize unofficial policy that has been in effect since September 2000 when violence broke out and warned that the law would damage relations between Israel and its Arab minority.
Both local and international human rights groups have condemned the law as racist.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2974045,00.html