Interior ministry accused of wanton prejudice and bigotry

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ACRI (Association for Civil Rights in Israel) has released a blistering report lambasting the Interior ministry for having “an endemic, systematic and pervasive bias against non-Jews, and constantly trampling on their legal rights”. The report was issued as part of the international civil rights week, leading up to the international human rights day, the tenth of December.

The Population Registrar’s office bears the brunt of the criticism. The report claims that it has an entrenched policy of making life as difficult as possible for non-Jewish residents and citizens, often going beyond the law to do so. It arbitrarily declares non-Jewish residents illegal aliens, putting them at risk of arrest and deportation at any time.

Ministry officials go even further, forcibly separating non-Jewish parents from their Israeli born children, in order to prevent the parents from benefiting from their legal rights as lawful residents. These steps are aimed at non –Jewish spouses of Israeli Jewish citizens, the aim being to discourage Israelis from marrying non-Jews, and coercing the Jewish partner into divorcing their non-Jewish spouse, in which case they immediately become illegal aliens.

Another group targeted by ministry officials are the Halahically non-Jewish immigrants from the FSU. Under civil law, any grandchild of a Jew may enter Israel under the Law of Return. The ministry, which for most of the last two decades has been run by the ultra-orthodox Shas party, has gone out of its way to make life miserable for immigrants who although legally entitled to immigrate to Israel, are not Jewish according to Halaha (Jewish religious law).

Maariv

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