The issue of dual citizenship in Israel, particularly involving American-Israelis, is mired in significant statistical inconsistencies. On one hand, the Israeli government has maintained that only about 10% of its population holds dual citizenship. On the other, a recent statement by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel in May 2025 directly contradicts that figure, asserting that there are 700,000 U.S. citizens currently inside Israel. This number, when examined in the context of Israel’s demographics, immigration history, and citizenship laws, reveals deep flaws in the official Israeli narrative.
Israel’s Nationality Law and the Facilitation of Dual Citizenship
Established in 1952, the Israeli Nationality Law enables individuals to acquire citizenship by birth, marriage, naturalization, and most notably, under the Law of Return. The Law of Return has been the foundation for a significant influx of Jewish immigrants worldwide, particularly from North America, the former Soviet Union, and Europe. Crucially, Israeli law does not require immigrants to renounce their original citizenship. As such, dual and even multiple citizenships are legally permitted and in practice, quite common. This legislative openness was designed to encourage Jews to migrate to Israel while maintaining their national ties elsewhere.
From a population of less than a million in 1948, Israel has grown to 9.9 million by 2024. This growth has been driven significantly by immigration. Since Israel’s founding, 3.46 million people have immigrated, nearly half of them since 1990. Among these immigrants, major influxes came from the United States, Russia, and Europe.
The U.S. Ambassador’s just obliterated Israel's narrative about the number of Israel citizens with dual citizenship
A key moment revealing this data discrepancy occurred when the U.S. Ambassador to Israel stated in May 2025:
“We don't need Israel's permission to conclude an agreement with the Houthis. If one of the 700,000 American citizens inside Israel is hurt by a Houthi attack, then we'll respond.”
This figure of 700,000 American citizens currently residing in Israel starkly contradicts the Israeli government’s longstanding claim that only 120,000 Israeli citizens hold U.S. citizenship. Crucially, the ambassador's statement referred specifically to U.S. citizens physically present in Israel, whether as residents, dual citizens, or extended-stay nationals. It does not include the significantly larger population of Jewish Americans who have claimed Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return but continue to reside in the United States.
This distinction is important: under Israeli law, any Jew worldwide can obtain Israeli citizenship without relinquishing their existing nationality. Many Jewish Americans—estimated at 7.2 million people—have already taken up this option, even if they have never relocated to Israel. These individuals, while not living in Israel, remain Israeli citizens on paper, often eligible for Israeli government services, voting rights (if they return), and military service for their children.
Thus, the 700,000 figure represents only a subset of U.S.-Israeli dual nationals: those currently inside Israel, according to the ambassador. When including all U.S. citizens who have acquired Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return but reside abroad, particularly in the U.S., the total number of American-Israeli dual citizens could be substantially higher.
Many countries, including Russia, the United States, France, and the UK, allow citizenship by descent. If a parent retains foreign nationality, their Israeli-born children can often claim the same. For example, Russian law does not prohibit dual citizenship and considers children of Russian citizens to be eligible for Russian nationality. Thus, second-generation Israelis born to immigrants from countries allowing citizenship by descent further swell the ranks of dual citizens—often without being officially counted.
A 2011 report on Israeli expatriates in the UK revealed that over 44% of Israelis in Britain held dual citizenship, and many more entered the UK with EU passports—an avenue unavailable without direct family links to European citizenship.
This pattern undermines Israel's claim that dual citizenship is confined to a minor share of the population. If anything, it demonstrates a widespread and systemic underreporting or obfuscation of dual nationality status for political or strategic reasons—perhaps to downplay foreign influence or demographic vulnerability.
This further exposes the deep inconsistency in the Israeli government’s claim that only 10% of its population holds dual citizenship. If 700,000 U.S. citizens live in Israel, that alone constitutes nearly 7% of Israel’s total population. When factoring in the large number of Israeli citizens with Russian, French, British, or other citizenships—and the reality of hereditary citizenship laws—it becomes mathematically impossible to reconcile this with the official 10% figure. Moreover, these figures do not account for the vast number of Israeli citizens living abroad, many of whom hold dual or multiple nationalities, nor do they capture the legal eligibility of millions of Israelis to reclaim foreign citizenship through their parents or grandparents.
In light of the growing involvement of dual nationals in key state institutions and military operations, including in controversial conflicts like the war in Gaza, and possible violation of international law where many of these participants are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity are, the need for transparency and accountability is more pressing than ever.
Posts
No comments:
Write comments