Netanyahu advances bill tightening family reunification rules for Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to push forward a draft bill on Sunday that would significantly expand the state's authority to scrutinize couples applying for family reunification in Israel, according to Haaretz.

The legislation would grant Interior Ministry inspectors broader enforcement authority to verify that reunification requests are not fraudulent. While it targets multiple groups, including foreign workers, but it imposes especially stringent rules on the reunification of Palestinian relatives, citing security concerns.

The proposed bill would also amend the existing procedure for granting legal status in Israel to foreign spouses or descendants of Israeli citizens or permanent residents.

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Under the bill, inspectors would be granted expanded enforcement powers, including the ability to request court authorization to enter applicants' homes, monitor them in public near their workplace or residence, and demand identity documents. Refusal by applicants to comply with these inspections could be taken into account when authorities assess reunification applications, Haaretz reported.

The push for the legislation originated with the Interior Ministry. Previously, a dedicated unit of inspectors reviewed applications to verify the authenticity of relationships, conducting interviews to ensure that citizenship requests were based on genuine familial or romantic ties. That unit, however, ceased operations in 2023 after the Justice Ministry ruled that its activities required formal legislative backing.

Haaretz reported that since Israel currently lacks an appointed interior minister, there is no official to advance the bill in the Knesset (parliament). Netanyahu did not indicate any plans to fill the post and will likely have to employ a special procedure to move the legislation forward. Under this arrangement, the prime minister can act on behalf of a vacant ministerial portfolio, allowing him to submit the bill to the Ministerial Committee for Legislation without a sitting interior minister’s approval.

The position became vacant after former Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel resigned in July following the coalition’s inability to pass an exemption for ultra-Orthodox citizens from mandatory military service. Additionally, the Israeli Justice Ministry has been operating without a minister since October when Yariv Levin’s term ended.