According to this decision, if he married her now and she was under 25, an Israeli parliamentarian's wife wouldn't be allowed to live with him in Israel. From Ha'aretz [2], May 14:
MK Barakeh: High Court ruling supplies an 'alibi for racism'
Senior Arab Israeli lawmaker Mohammed Barakeh on Sunday strongly condemned the High Court's ruling banning Israeli Arabs and their Palestinian spouses from living together, saying it "gives racism a shady alibi.""The fact that the ruling was opposed by several of the judges is a ray of light that does not illuminate the darkness of the court's decision and the Knesset's legislation," said Barakeh, who is also chairman of the Hadash party.
"Israel's book of laws is becoming, with the High Court's approval, a guide for all post-World War II racist legislation."
MK Ahmed Tibi (Ra'am Ta'al), who is married to a Palestinian woman from Tul Karm, said, "the High Court of Justice and the Citizenship Law have erected a separation barrier in the midst of the Arab family on the basis of ethnic background and the separation of husband from wife and parents from children.
"The decision proves that a Jewish and democratic state is an error in logic and that these two values are inherently contradictory," Tibi added.
MK Dov Hanin (Hadash) said the Knesset would have to work to fight the racism systemically supported by the High Court.
"One can't expect the High Court of Justice to stand alone in defending Israeli society against the infiltration of racist norms," he said. "The Knesset must come to its senses and promote legislation that will remove the stain of discrimination from our book of laws."
Meretz MK Ran Cohen said, "it is unbelievable that Israeli and Jewish judges have accepted a law rooted in racism. It has been made evident, yet again, that the High Court of Justice is not the solution to civil rights issues."
Balad Chairman Azmi Bishara said, "the court's decision is proof that Israel's political and judicial culture is geared towards nationalism rather than citizenship."
From Jpost [3]:
"I had hoped and expected the High Court would be the last arena for protecting democracy," MK Zehava Gal-On from the Meretz-Yahad Party told Israel Radio. "In essence, we are talking about a means to halt the demographic threat. There are no real security issues."
"The High Court could have taken a braver decision and not relegate us to the level of an apartheid state," The Associated Press quoted Gal-On as saying.
MK Haim Ramon of the ruling Kadima party is already planning a slippery law to skirt the apartheid label:
"The High Court decision appears to apply to a certain population sector, but I intend to make a law that will apply to everyone. According to the law, a citizen of a hostile country won't be able to adopt Israeli citizenship, except under circumstances that the state will determine," Ramon said.
See our last post [4] on Israel/Palestine.
