Apartheid law upheld in the Zionist state

Palestinian spouses to remain banned from Israel

The High Court in Israel has narrowly upheld a controversial law that bars West Bank Palestinians from living with their Israeli Arab spouses and children in Israel itself.

The law was passed in 2002 and has kept hundreds, possibly thousands, of Palestinians apart from their families.

It was a close vote on what has been described by some as one of the most important issues facing the High Court in recent years.

One of the groups that challenged the law said thousands of families are affected; they have been forced to move abroad, live apart or if they stay together, risk being arrested or deported.

It argued that the law was unconstitutional because it discriminated against Israel's Arab citizens, violating a basic right to family life.

But the Israeli state claimed that the victory of Hamas only strengthened its case that Palestinians were a security risk and should not be allowed into the country.

In the end the state got its way.

A lawyer involved in trying to challenge the law called it a sad day for human rights in Israel.

-BBC

URL: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200605/s1638109.htm