Society & Minorities
Same-sex marriage
Israel should allow same-sex marriage and grant full parental rights.
Israel registers same-sex marriages performed abroad but performs none itself. There is no civil marriage here, for anyone.
What is at stake
Israel has no civil marriage. Marriage and divorce run through recognised religious authorities — for Jews, the state Rabbinate — which do not perform same-sex marriages. The Interior Ministry registers marriages performed abroad, including same-sex ones, and courts have extended many parental rights. Marrying here still needs legislation.
The case for
- Two citizens who build a life and raise children together should hold the same legal status as any other couple.
- A right that depends on flying abroad and registering the certificate on return is not equality.
- Clear parental status protects the children themselves in custody, inheritance and medical decisions when a family hits a crisis.
The case against
- Marriage in Israel has always been a religious institution. The state should not redefine it against halacha.
- The same framework governs marriage for Muslim, Christian and Druze citizens. Changing it overrides each community's own family law.
- Civil partnership rights can be widened to meet the practical needs while the word marriage stays religious.
Both sides get the same number of points at comparable length. That is a rule of this site, not a coincidence.
What the next Knesset could decide
The Knesset could legislate civil marriage, or a civil union open to all couples, or a law equalising parental registration and adoption. A coalition agreement can equally commit to blocking such bills, and the Interior Ministry sets registration practice.