Israeli citizenship law details the conditions by which a person holds citizenship of Israel. The two primary pieces of legislation governing these requirements are the 1950 Law of Return and 1952 Citizenship Law.
A British mandate-era passport for a Palestinian resident
A welcoming for new immigrants from North America
The Law of Return is an Israeli law, passed on 5 July 1950, which gives Jews, people with one or more Jewish grandparent, and their spouses the right to relocate to Israel and acquire Israeli citizenship. Section 1 of the Law of Return declares that "every Jew has the right to come to this country as an oleh [immigrant]". In the Law of Return, the State of Israel gave effect to the Zionist movement's "credo" which called for the establishment of Israel as a Jewish state. In 1970, the right of entry and settlement was extended to people with at least one Jewish grandparent and a person who is married to a Jew, whether or not they are considered Jewish under Orthodox interpretations of Jewish law.
Holocaust survivors arriving in Haifa in 1945, before the passage of the Law of Return
Moroccan Jewish immigrants arriving in Israel under the Law of Return, 1954
North American immigrants arriving in Israel under the auspices of Nefesh B'Nefesh
A stamp in a passport issuing holder Israeli citizenship based on Law of Return
