A court in Jerusalem on Sunday rejected a petition filed by a Palestinian who applied for a citizenship after marrying an Israeli woman and converting to Judaism.
The former West Bank resident sought to obtain immigrant status under the Law of Return, having cooperated with the Israeli security forces years prior.
In his youth, the appellant and his brother collaborated with the security forces, receiving temporary residence permits in Israel, which expired in 2000.
During Sunday's hearing, Judge Tamar Bar-Asher sided with the government, ruling that at the time of the conversion he was not staying in the country legally, making his conversion certificate - issued by an Israeli court - not legally binding.
During his stay in Israel, the appellant was involved in criminal offenses. Following his conviction on charges of manslaughter, attempted robbery and conspiring to escape, he was sentenced to nine years in prison.
In 2005, after an early release, he appealed to the threatened persons committee to obtain a permit to stay in Israel on the ground that his life would be in danger if he returned to the Palestinian territories. His request was approved in February 2007, with a temporary residence permit was due to be issued at a later date, provided the man would refrain from involvement in criminal activity.
In January 2021, the man obtained an a Judaism conversion certificate from a private court in Gush Etzion in the West Bank. In addition, the Rabbinical Court approved his marriage to an Israeli woman, issuing them a marriage certificate. The couple shares three children.
Subsequently, he sought to get a permanent residence through the Law of Return, which allows every Jewish person to immigrate to Israel and automatically become a citizen of the state.
The request, however, was denied by the Interior Ministry on the claim that at the time of the conversion he was not residing in Israel legally. At that time, he was living in Israel by virtue of an agreement approved by a court ruling - granting him a temporary visa until a special committee reached the decision on his status.
The petitioner claims that at the time of the conversion, and in accordance with the law, he had a permit from the Civil Administration to stay in Israel, making his stay eligible.