Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett suffered one of the first defeats in parliament. MEPs have refused to extend a law banning Israeli citizenship or residence rights for Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip who are married to Israeli citizens.
The ban was first introduced in 2003 during the second Palestinian uprising on security grounds. However, opponents of the law believe the rules discriminate against the Israeli Arab community.
Naftali Bennett is a passionate religious nationalist, and the rejection of this law marks the rift in his fragile coalition of eight ideologically distinct parties.
The prime minister also failed to gain the support of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the law.
Bennett had turned to Netanyahu for help, who did not hide his desire to regain the post of prime minister. However, the former prime minister has mentioned to his members of the Likud party that the overthrow of the current government is more important than the extension of the said law.
Commentators point out that the lifting of the restrictions, which have existed for almost 20 years, can be considered a partial victory for the Palestinians, as some 15,000 people could now be able to obtain at least a permit to move or reside in Israel.
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