A sovereign State has the authority to determine who will enter its gates and who will be entitled to permanent status. However, the state must also take human rights into consideration. States must respect the right to family life, are not entitled to reject refugees, asylum-seekers, or individuals who do not hold any citizenship, and must provide help in cases of humanitarian distress. In Israel, the authority to decide who will enter the country, who will be deported, and what the status will be of foreign citizens residing in the country, rests in the hands of the clerks staffing the Population Registry of the Ministry of the Interior. The Population Registry sees itself as the “palace guard” whose job it is to defend at all costs the Jewish character of the state of Israel. This policy gives rise to discrimination and flagrant human rights violations, primarily the right to family life, the right to due process, and the right to dignity – of non-Jews, of Israeli citizens choosing to share their lives with citizens of another country, and of their children. ACRI works tirelessly to change Ministry of the Interior policies, and to establish clear and equal procedures regarding immigration and citizenship status.
Resources on Migration, Residency, and Status:
ACRI Condemns Noam Chomsky’s Entry Denial, May 2010
Following ACRI petition, Interior Ministry Ends Discrimination at Beersheba Branch, March 2009
ACRI Condemns New Regulation Discriminating against Common-Law Couples, February 2009
“Deportation of Critics: In the Spirit of Feiglin”, Yediot Aharonot, December 2008
ACRI to Foreign Minister Livni: Don’t Ban Critics, December 2008
ACRI: “Temporary” Citizenship Law Violates Right to Family Life, Equality, July 2008
“Forced Apart by Law”, The Guardian, June 2008
Court on ACRI Petition: Interior Ministry Must Be Transparent, December 2007
ACRI’s Briefing on the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, August 2007
Administrative Court: Establish Procedures for Stateless Persons, January 2007
