Torn apart

After hours of emotional debate, Israeli lawmakers this week approved a bill banning Palestinians who marry Israeli citizens from living inside Israel with their spouses, and denying them the opportunity to seek Israeli citizenship.

The new law, denounced by critics as racist but defended by the government as a security measure, is a stark illustration of how nearly three years of violence have intruded upon the most intimate aspects of people’s lives on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide. The measure’s passage, by a more than 2-1 margin, also points to the deep gulf of mistrust that exists as the two sides are taking the first halting steps under the US-backed peace initiative.

Opponents said they would immediately ask Israel’s Supreme Court to overturn the bill which is initially in effect for one year. Critics called the measure a black eye for a democracy such as Israel.

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‘‘I think this bill is simply a disgrace to the state of Israel,’’ said lawmaker Michael Melchior, a rabbi who heads a liberal religious faction. ‘‘This will tear families apart…We are creating a monster.’’

Over the past decade, about 1,00,000 Palestinians have obtained Israeli residency or citizenship through marriage. —LAT-WP