Israeli nationality law

Israeli nationality law defines the criteria under which a person can be granted citizenship of Israel. It also deals with the Right of Return for Jewish diaspora. In general, Israel's nationality follows jus sanguinis as the primary mechanism through which a person may obtain citizenship, rather than jus soli. A citizen of the modern state of Israel is called an Israeli.

Apart from citizenship, there is another civil status which can be held by residents of Israel: the permanent residency status. It is most common among Syrian citizens of the Golan Heights and among East Jerusalem residents, but it occurs also among other non-citizens.

Rights of citizens

Although not a part of the nationality law, Israeli citizens have the following rights:

Other rights are granted equally to citizens and permanent residents of Israel, among them: the right to work within Israel, the right to extenuation of tax payments, the right to a pension when needed from the social security services, and the right to vote within the scope of local ordinances. Residents who are not citizens may, however, lose their status (and thus any rights provided to them in Israel) if they move outside of Israel's borders (outside of the Green Line including the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem), contrary to the privileges of citizens which enable them to re-settle in Israel at anytime.