16.12.2003|Court Documents|Brief

HCJ 7052/03, 8099/03 – Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel et al. v. Minister of the Interior et al.Summation on behalf of the Respondents

The respondents contend that the purpose of the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order) is to ensure public safety, but admits that the basis of the Law may have had a demographic objective, though it was not dominant, and in any event, it was for a proper purpose; that the Law involves self-defense, and that international law permits restrictions on subjects of an enemy state; that the Temporary Order, while preventing the foreign spouse from receiving favorable treatment, as part of establishing the family unit, in immigration matters, this treatment does not breach the right of the individual to choose his spouse, or his right to privacy; and that the distinction set forth in the Law involves only the nature of the foreign spouse, and does not constitute improper discrimination of Arab citizens of Israel.