One of Israel’s founding principles is the Law of Return. This law, which dates back to the earliest days of the State of Israel, grants legal permission for any Jew, from anywhere in the world, to make aliyah and settle in Israel.
We’re looking into why the Law of Return is necessary, who has benefited from it and how a modern, liberal democracy like Israel – which has many non-Jewish citizens – can have immigration legislation like this on its books (and just how do non-Jewish Israelis become citizens anyway?).
We’re also raising the controversial question of who is defined as a Jew, which isn’t as clear as you might think.
You can find this video on our YouTube channel Unpacked.