Occupied Palestine – The Palestinian Islamic Resistance movement of Hamas condemned on Friday Israel’s passing of a law banning the reunification of Palestinian families.
“Approving this law reveals the real face of the Israeli occupation,” the group’s Spokesperson, Jihad Taha, said.
“This is a racist law,” Taha added.
Taha noted this law “aimed at evacuating the occupied lands of historical Palestine from its original residents, mainly Jerusalem.”
Taha also stated that the approval of this law is a violation of the international treaties and conventions.
He also appealed for the international bodies to stand against the Israeli violation.
On Thursday, Israel’s Knesset passed the so-called Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order), 2022, by a 45-15 majority vote.
It prevents Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza married to Palestinian citizens of ‘Israel’ from permanently moving to ‘Israel’.
It also prevents them from obtaining work, permanent residency and, ultimately, citizenship.
‘Israel’ claimed the law came for security reasons.
However, it is believed to be passed on racist grounds to prevent those Palestinians from becoming “Israeli citizens.”
This is in order to maintain a Jewish majority in ‘Israel’.
The law also prohibits the entry of Arabs from countries “hostile” to ‘Israel’ for family reunification purposes.
The countries include Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
Human rights groups have long warned of the seriousness of the law.
Palestinians, however, consider the law racist.
The so-called Citizenship Law was first introduced in 2003.
Palestinian citizens of ‘Israel’ are make up 20 percent of the population and would be gravely affected by the law.
Khaled Zabarqa, a lawyer and Palestinian citizen of ‘Israel’, said that “the law enshrines the apartheid regime into a Knesset legislation”.
“It is based on demographic reasoning to maintain a Jewish majority,” Zabarqa wrote on his social media account on WhatsApp.
“It constitutes an era to target the Arab presence directly, not just our family in the West Bank but also target us.”
‘Israel’ targets the Palestinian Arab population with 65 different government laws and regulations, according to Adalah.
Those laws came to ensure Palestinian Arabs do not prosper as a community.
