Likud will not agree to change in Israel's Law of Return - report - Eliav Breuer

 

by Eliav Breuer

The Likud will instead offer a committee to block the exploitation of olim rights.

 

AN ECSTATIC Benjamin Netanyahu greets Likud supporters celebrating the election victory last month.

(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

The Likud will not agree to a demand by all of its coalition negotiation partners to cancel the "grandfather clause" in the Law of Return, and instead offered to form a committee to prevent the exploitation of rights given to new immigrants to Israel, Walla reported on Tuesday.

The report was not confirmed by the Likud.

The grandfather clause grants the right of immigration to Israel to anyone who has a Jewish grandparent, even if they are not Jewish according to Halacha (Jewish law).

Views on the grandfather clause in Israeli politics

The Likud's negotiation partners – Shas, United Torah Judaism, Religious Zionist Party, Otzma Yehudit and Noam – are all led by religious men and other than Otzma Yehudit are entirely Orthodox. The parties, therefore, view a Jew as someone born to a Jewish mother. [ed: or someone who has converted to Judaism according to Jewish Law]

MK BEZALEL Smotrich addresses the Knesset plenum. The unusual state of Israeli politics has highlighted the attraction of its extremities, says the writer (credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)

The idea to cancel the grandfather clause was opposed by members of Knesset from the soon-to-be opposition, especially from Yisrael Beytenu, many of whose electorate were able to come to Israel because of the clause.

Negotiations between the Likud and the other parties are ongoing, All of the parties have already agreed to a distribution of roles, but are still negotiating which laws the incoming coalition will pass. 

Eliav Breuer

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-724756

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