Israel doesn’t permit dual-citizenship legislators. Why does the USA?
Approximately one-third of the Knesset members who will be sworn in at a special ceremony on Tuesday are newcomers to the Israeli parliament. Among them are five who, before pledging to serve the Israeli people, had to formally renounce foreign citizenships.
The requirement to give up non-Israeli citizenship did not take Rachel Azaria (Kulanu), Ksenia Svetlova (Zionist Union), Haim Jelin (Yesh Atid), Abdullah Abu Maaruf (Joint Arab List), and Yoav Kisch (Likud) by surprise. While Israelis may hold dual citizenship, a Basic Law passed in 1958 states that Knesset members cannot pledge allegiance as parliamentarians unless their foreign citizenship has been revoked under the laws of that country….
Azaria, a 38-year-old Jerusalem deputy mayor, renounced her American citizenship, which she had held by virtue of her mother having been born in the US…. Two years ago, when the 19th Knesset was sworn in, there were also five new MKs who had to give up foreign citizenships in order to take their seats. Like Azaria, two of them — Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett and Yesh Atid’s Rabbi Dov Lipman — gave up their US passports.
One can’t help but notice that Israel also has a wall….