Ermm, that’s a slightly eccentric version of history and one I’m sure everyone would agree is incorrect. (but there have been GD threads on this topic and that’s were a discussion of the history of Israel and Palestine belongs).
Also as I’m sure Dan here will tell you, you do not need to be Jewish to be an Israeli citizen, roughly 20% of Israelis citzenry is not Jewish.
*is non-Jewish.
Dan don’t worry, IIRC half of the Jordanian parliment used to be West Bank representatives until 1988.
*is non-Jewish.
Dan don’t worry, IIRC half of the Jordanian parliment used to be of West Bank representatives until 1988.
*is non-Jewish.
Dan don’t worry, IIRC half of the Jordanian parliment used to be West Bank representatives until 1988.
This is correct; HOWEVER - being Jewish **does **matter if you are not an Israeli citizen and wish to become one (why!?) - we have the “Law of Return”, which automatically confers Israeli citizenship on immigrating Jews (as long as they are not escaping felons in their country of origin; also the question of “who is a Jew?” has come close to toppling governments - but this on another day…). It is MUCH more difficult to gain Israeli citizenship (other than by birth to a citizen parent) if you are non-Jewish.
And no, if your parents are not citizens, then being born here does not automatically give you citizenship (unlike what the case is in the USA, I believe). Nearly all the non-Jewish citizens are descendents of people who were granted citizenship at the creation of the state, the notable exceptions being a handful of relatives of (mostly russian) Jews who came here as part of a mixed family in the 1990’s.
Dan Abarbanel
I thougt Israel always allowed a Jewish person on the wanted for a crime to escape to Israel where it reserved the right to try them itself.
I heard recently that Israel was having a problem with neo-Nazis who came in with the large Russian immigration who got in Israel either by lying about their ‘Jewishness’ (to escape the collapse of the USSR) or were only distantly Jewish, but still met the immigration critetia.
Ok, go back six months. Arafat wants to travel/fly to Spain for a conference.
He sits in his office. What passport does he pull out and put in his travel bag?
What road does he take to what airport?
Palestinians could have had a citizenship as early as 1948. The UN plan was to create two states. However, the Arabs rejected the existence of both states. Thus, it is not Israel that is to blame for stateless Palestinians, it is the Arab countries that rejected the UN Resolution.
Hmm I imagine the Palestinian Authority issue diplomatic passports (which would probably be internationally recognised due to the PLO’s observer status at the UN), I’d also imagine he’d go to Jordan to get a plane.
Dogface, no poltics otherwise the thread will probably get closed.
Not so. There was a famous case a few years ago of a Jewish-American who had committed a murder in the States, but that was with an israeli citizen, who had lived almost all (all?) his life abroad. He nearly got extradited, anyway, but in the end he was sentenced to life here. Extradiction was attempted on the grounds that the child had no “Real tie” to Israel and his citizenship was, therfore, a legal farce. Didn’t stand up in court. Once his citizenship was affirmed, he could not be extradited. This had everything to do with extradiction laws and agreements, as well as with political pressure being applied in legal matters, and nothing to do with the Law of Return. You cannot use Israel as a refuge from justice. If you are an Israeli citizen (at the time the crime is committed) then Israel reserves the right to try you herself. If you are not a citizen, it’s go directly to jail (in your native country), do not pass go…
Yes, but this is also a different kettle of fish - these guys were not active fugitives from justice in their country of origin, and therefore had to be given citizenship upon “proof” (real or forged) of their Judaism. Of course, if it is later proven that they lied, they lose their citizenship.
Dan Abarbanel
I think you’re confusing two issues. Israel won’t allow known criminals to immigrate. (There was the whole Meyer Lansky thing)
However, Israel also doesn’t extradite its citizens. There was a case just recently about a young man named Samuel Sheinbein, who committed a pretty brutal murder in Maryland, and then fled to Israel. Because his father was Israeli, Sheinbein was Israeli, and so the Israeli government couldn’t extradite him. I think the case went up to the Israeli Supreme Court. Ultimately, Sheinbein was tried and sentenced in Israel, upsetting some people, because he probably would have gotten the death penalty here, and Israel has no death penalty for murder.
Yes I was thinking of Sheinbein, I didn’t realize he was an Israeli citizen though.
Right, I had forgotten the details.
And yes, it went to the supreme court. State, under exterme political pressure from USA, tried to rescind father’s (I think) citizenship; family appealed. Court ruling essentially said: “Look, the crook is a citizen. Under current extradiction laws we can’t extradite him. You want to extradite criminals to the country where the crime was performed? YOU are the State. Change the ******* law!”
Hasn’t happened yet, so far as I know.
Dan Abarbanel