Israel's preposterously-named Family Unification provision has now extended the ban on interfaith marriage benefits for another six months. Along with its prohibition against attaining citizenship, the law will continue to bar Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens from establishing residency in Israel. Children produced from these mixed marriages will also be denied residency and citizenship.

There is something fundamentally wrong about designing an immigration policy based on preventing a marriage between two people who, were they not of disparate nationality and religion, would be treated exactly the same as almost any other couple on Earth. There is also something very wrong with denying the children of those relationships the chance to attain citizenship. Leaving the door wide open to a stateless generation of Arab-Israelis should be unacceptable and unbecoming of a wealthy and educated populace.

But Israel's Arabs are a demographic time bomb insist some of the most powerful voices in the Israeli government. Something must be done about it. This rule is "in accordance with long-term national interests of Israel," say top government officials. But it's not as simple as that, and the Israeli government knows it.

Photo credit: phauly