Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked is in intensive talks with United Arab List chairman Mansour Abbas in order to ensure the passage of the Citizenship Law.
According to the emerging compromise agreement, the law will pass and Shaked will provide humanitarian relief for about 1,600 Palestinian Arab families. However, two members of the UAL intend to oppose the law despite the compromise.
Shaked wants to extend the law for six months, with the Meretz party supporting it and the UAL abstaining. If this occurs, the government will still require one of the Likud MKs to abstain or for Mansour Abbas to vote in favor of the law to ensure its passage.
MK Simcha Rotman of the Religious Zionist party stated: "Ayelet Shaked prefers to negotiate with Abbas over the introduction of thousands more Palestinians into Israel instead of negotiating with the Religious Zionist party on the Basic Law on Immigration."
Earlier, MK Ahmad Tibi from the joint list sharply attacked the Citizenship Law that prevents Palestinian Arabs from gaining Israeli citizenship by marrying Israeli Arabs and reminded members of the Ra'am party that it was only thanks to them that Ayelet Shaked became Interior Minister.
"I do not know a proud Arab of the Palestinian people who would agree to pass this citizenship law that spits in the faces of the families of the children of his people and hits hard enough to stab a knife in the back of families on both sides of the Green Line. Such a law is not up for negotiated. He will be thrown out because he is a black stain in the book of laws," Tibi said.
Shaked responded: Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked responded: "Ahmad Tibi and Ayman Odeh claim that this is a racist and anti-human law that prevents family reunification, and I say the opposite. This law is an essential law that was born because of Jewish blood shed by accursed murderers who entered the State of Israel through marriage. The hundreds of terrorists who received their status by virtue of marriage is the conclusive proof of the security importance of the law."