Ayelet Shaked
Ayelet Shakedצילום: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

The Israeli Supreme Court has ordered the Interior Ministry to address requests by Palestinian Authority residents to receive Israeli residency permits on the basis of family reunification.

The court issued an interim order Tuesday afternoon, instructing Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked (Yamina) to respond to the growing number of requests for family reunification in Israel submitted by Palestinian Arabs.

The order was issued after Shaked instructed the Interior Ministry’s Population and Immigration Authority not to respond to Palestinian Arab requests for family reunification filed after the expiration of the Citizenship Law.

HaMoked, a left-wing NGO, filed a court petition against Shaked’s directive, arguing that with the expiration of the 2003 Citizenship Law, the government is obliged to accept family reunification requests from Palestinian Arabs.

The 2003 Citizenship Law, passed as a security measure during the Second Intifada after a number of terror attacks were carried out by Palestinian Arab residents who were given legal status via family reunification, has been extended annually – until the Bennett government failed to secure passage of the extension last July.

Shaked has vowed to extend the 2003 Citizenship Law, and prevent family reunification bids under the pre-2003 version of the law.