Palestinians hesitant to celebrate as family reunification ban fails
Arab-Israelis married to Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza Strip realize that the measure failed to pass only because of squabbling between the right-wing parties who are sure to promote similar legislation.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Asmahan Jabali, who lives with her husband in the city of Taybeh, beyond the Green Line, is preparing to apply to the Israeli Ministry of Interior for reunification with her family, allowing her to live with them inside Israel without the need to renew her annual residency permit.
Jabali is from the city of Tubas in the West Bank. She married an Arab-Israeli 26 years ago and they have three children. However, she has lived with her family in Israel in fear that the permit allowing her to reside there wouldn’t be renewed.
“There have been many times when my residency permit expired and I had to leave my family for the West Bank until the new permit was issued,” Jabali told Al-Monitor.
She expressed concern about being denied family reunification even now that the controversial amendment to the law governing citizenship and entry into Israel failed to pass in the Knesset. “This does not mean the Israeli Ministry of Interior will approve the requests quickly and easily, especially since Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked is well known for her racism and extremism against us.”
