Originally posted by ReasonableDoubt
Now I have to say you are wrong on this point because, in order to become a citizen of Israel you HAVE TO BE JEWISH
From the Israel Yearbook and Almanac 1995, p. 248:
- "The vast majority of Israeli Muslims are Sunni, including some 3,000 Circassians. More than half the Christians are Greek Orthodox or Greek Catholic. Many of the Christians are not Arabs; the non-Arab Christians include European, Ethiopian, and Coptic clergy and monastics, the small Armenian community in Jerusalem, and, increasingly, Christian relatives of Jews."
As I said, there is a difference between "Israeli" and "Jew". [/QUOTE]
If someone was living in Israel and already had citizenship they could be Christian yes because they have been there since the beginning or have ties to that. There are many Jews who live in other countries that carry Israeli citizenship or are Jewish and are welcome in Israel. All Jews are welcome in Israel, it just has to be proven.
For instance we have a friend from South Africa (he is Christian) who married our friend, an Israeli woman. He spent three years in Israel, studied Hebrew, did hard labor at the Kibbutz, spent many hours praying with Rabbis and learning Jewish history. After all that, he still was NOT excepted as a citizen!! It is very tough to become a citizen, it is much easier to forget about it and just be a resident if you are not Jewish. They are too strict and I have heard that alot of people are complaining about this problem, but for now that's the way it is.
Yes there are existing communities but you cannot become a citizen of Israel without being Jewish, that goes to families related by marriage only like myself!! This is a fact!!There are 5 exceptions read below, but they are exceptions. US citizens taking out Israeli citizenships are Jewish or somehow related. If you convert it is much easier if it is done before your 18th birthday. Please read below or go to:
http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cach...itizen+of+israel+how+to+become&hl=en&ie=UTF-8[/url]
BECOMING A CITIZEN OF ISRAEL
by
Adam Starchild
The number of U.S. citizens taking out Israeli citizenship is high. In fact in 1992 the number grew 35% over the year before, while the number from the former Soviet Union declined.
Under Israeli law, the acquisition of nationality is one of the few areas in which the law differentiates between Jews and non-Jews. The Law of Return grants every Jew the right to go to Israel as an oleh (Jewish immigrant), and the Israel Nationality Law automatically confers Israeli nationality on every oleh upon entering the country unless he specifies otherwise. The law even provides that a Jew who expresses his desire to settle in Israel may be granted nationality by virtue of the Law of Return even before he physically immigrates, a clause which allows the Israeli government to issue travel documents to refugees in emergencies.
Article 4A of the Law of Return extends the Jewish rights to family members: "(a) The rights of a Jew under this Law and the rights of an oleh under the Nationality Law, 5712-1952, as well as the rights of an oleh under any other enactment, are also vested in a child and a grandchild of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, and the spouse of a grandchild of a Jew, except for a person who has been a Jew and has voluntarily changed his religion."
The next section makes it clear that the family member need not even be living: "(b) It shall be immaterial whether or not a Jew by whose right a right under subsection (a) is claimed is still alive and whether or not he has immigrated to Israel."
Article 4B provides the definition of a Jew: "For the purposes of this Law, 'Jew' means a person who was born of a Jewish mother or has become converted to Judaism and who is not a member of another religion."
Section 5 of the law allows the Minister of the Interior to grant visas and citizenship to minors without their parents consent, a section that has recently been used for minors from Ukraine, Moldova, and former Yugoslavia who decided to flee without their families.
By contrast, an Arab or any other person not qualifying as a Jew under the Law of Return may acquire Israeli nationality in one of five ways detailed in the Nationality Law and summarized below.
1. Nationality by residence in Israel
Subject to certain qualifications, this section of the law grants Israeli citizenship to former Palestinian citizens who are currently residents of Israel and have lived in Israel since its creation on May 14, 1948, or have entered Israel legally between that time and July 14, 1952, the date the Nationality Law went into effect.
2. Nationality by birth
Nationality by reason of birth is given to any person whose father or mother was an Israeli national at the time of his birth. This provision holds true regardless of where the person in question may happen to have been born.
3. Naturalization by birth on Israeli territory in addition to 5 years immediate prior residence in Israel.
This provision grants Israeli nationality to persons who are born on Israeli territory who meet these qualifications: apply for Israeli citizenship between their 18th and 21st birthdays, have 5 consecutive years of residence in Israel immediately prior to filing a request for citizenship, have no criminal convictions for violation of security regulations, and have not been sentenced to jail for 5 years or more for violation of any other type of law.
4. Naturalization
A person 18 years of age or older may acquire Israeli nationality by naturalization if he meets these criteria: (1) is currently in Israel, (2) has been in Israel for 3 of the 5 preceding years, (3) intends to settle in the country (4) has some knowledge of Hebrew (former Palestinian citizens are exempt from this provision), (5) renounces any and all foreign nationalities, and (6) takes an oath of loyalty to the State of Israel. Completion of all of the above requirements is not essential in all instances, however, as the Minister of the Interior at his discretion has the power (for a special reason) to waive requirements (1), (2),(4), and (5) above.
5. By grant from the Minister of the Interior to certain categories of minors.
The law provides, in addition, for a discretionary grant of citizenship to minors who are not Israeli nationals but who are residents of Israel.
It is important to note that the law discriminates in favor of Jews against all others only as to the method of acquiring nationality. In theory at least, once nationality has been acquired all Israeli nationals are treated equally.
The Israeli passport provides visa-free travel to most countries in the world.
