U.S. to Look at Israeli Citizenship Law
Fri August 1, 2003 03:45 PM ET

WASHINGTON - The United States said on Friday it would study an Israeli citizenship law before deciding whether it discriminates against Palestinians by denying them citizenship or residence if they marry Israelis.
The law, passed by the Israeli parliament on Thursday, singles out Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under Israeli law, other non-Israelis are eligible for citizenship or residence when they marry Israelis.

"We will have to look at that very closely," State Department Richard Boucher told a briefing.

"We certainly oppose any laws that discriminate against individuals for ethnicity, or race or sex, disability and we will have to look carefully at this law and see how it fits under the standard views that we have on this," he added.

The right-wing Israeli politicians who sponsored the bill called the legislation an essential tool in the country's war against Palestinian militants who have killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide attacks in a 34-month-old uprising for statehood.

But human rights groups plan to petition the Israeli Supreme Court to overturn the law, which they contend violates the country's unofficial constitution protecting "human dignity and liberty" and a gamut of international conventions Israel has signed.

The United States routinely comments on foreign legislation that affects human rights.