Israel's nationality law of 1952 is how most of the citizenship was determined for future arrivals after the state had been established. It set forth these criteria:

• Those who came under the Law of Return as immigrant Jews would get citizenship.

• If you lived in the area and had citizenship with the British Mandate of Palestine, registered as an inhabitant before March 1, 1952 under the registration of inhabitants law of 1949, and were inside Israel's borders, you got citizenship.

• If you were born to Israeli parents, you'd be Israeli.

• If you meet the requirements for naturalization, which include being a legal permanent resident for 3 out of the last 5 years, intend to settle in Israel, had some knowledge of Hebrew, and renounced prior citizenship, you could get Israeli citizenship.

• If you fought in the IDF or lost a child in such service, you could get citizenship through naturalization only by proving you intended to live in Israel, you wouldn't have to be a permanent resident or anything like that.

• Children got citizenship if their parents did.

• Spouses would be able to get nationality, though they may have had to meet the requirement of being in Israel.

• Any child who was an orphan would get nationality, if they had a guardian then the guardian could apply for the child and they would get it.

Those were the basic rules. I left out some of the exceptions, but they were used to determine things. The law is here.

A lot hinged on the Registration of Inhabitants ordinance, which determined where everyone inside Israel's borders was, and what their families were like, etc. It was like a census, in a way. Using those registered documents, Israel could cross-check everything from there.

Israel's nationality law of 1952 is how most of the citizenship was determined for future arrivals after the state had been established. It set forth these criteria:

• Those who came under the Law of Return as immigrant Jews would get citizenship.

• If you lived in the area and had citizenship with the British Mandate of Palestine, registered as an inhabitant before March 1, 1952 under the registration of inhabitants law of 1949, and were inside Israel's borders, you got citizenship.

• If you were born to Israeli parents, you'd be Israeli.

• If you meet the requirements for naturalization, which include being a legal permanent resident for 3 out of the last 5 years, intend to settle in Israel, had some knowledge of Hebrew, and renounced prior citizenship, you could get Israeli citizenship.

• If you fought in the IDF or lost a child in such service, you could get citizenship through naturalization only by proving you intended to live in Israel, you wouldn't have to be a permanent resident or anything like that.

• Children got citizenship if their parents did.

• Spouses would be able to get nationality, though they may have had to meet the requirement of being in Israel.

• Any child who was an orphan would get nationality, if they had a guardian then the guardian could apply for the child and they would get it.

Those were the basic rules. I left out some of the exceptions, but they were used to determine things. The law is here.

A lot hinged on the Registration of Inhabitants ordinance, which determined where everyone inside Israel's borders was, and what their families were like, etc. It was like a census, in a way. Using those registered documents, Israel could cross-check everything from there.

Israel's nationality law of 1952 is how most of the citizenship was determined for future arrivals after the state had been established. It set forth these criteria:

• Those who came under the Law of Return as immigrant Jews would get citizenship.

• If you lived in the area and had citizenship with the British Mandate of Palestine, registered as an inhabitant before March 1, 1952 under the registration of inhabitants law of 1949, and were inside Israel's borders, you got citizenship.

• If you were born to Israeli parents, you'd be Israeli.

• If you meet the requirements for naturalization, which include being a legal permanent resident for 3 out of the last 5 years, intend to settle in Israel, had some knowledge of Hebrew, and renounced prior citizenship, you could get Israeli citizenship.

• If you fought in the IDF or lost a child in such service, you could get citizenship through naturalization only by proving you intended to live in Israel, you wouldn't have to be a permanent resident or anything like that.

• Children got citizenship if their parents did.

• Spouses would be able to get nationality, though they may have had to meet the requirement of being in Israel.

• Any child who was an orphan would get nationality, if they had a guardian then the guardian could apply for the child and they would get it.

Those were the basic rules. I left out some of the exceptions, but they were used to determine things. The law is here.

A lot hinged on the Registration of Inhabitants ordinance, which determined where everyone inside Israel's borders was, and what their families were like, etc. It was like a census, in a way. Using those registered documents, Israel could cross-check everything from there.

Israel's nationality law of 1952 is how most of the citizenship was determined for future arrivals after the state had been established. It set forth these criteria:

• Those who came under the Law of Return as immigrant Jews would get citizenship.

• If you lived in the area and had citizenship with the British Mandate of Palestine, registered as an inhabitant before March 1, 1952 under the registration of inhabitants law of 1949, and were inside Israel's borders, you got citizenship.

• If you were born to Israeli parents, you'd be Israeli.

• If you meet the requirements for naturalization, which include being a legal permanent resident for 3 out of the last 5 years, intend to settle in Israel, had some knowledge of Hebrew, and renounced prior citizenship, you could get Israeli citizenship.

• If you fought in the IDF or lost a child in such service, you could get citizenship through naturalization only by proving you intended to live in Israel, you wouldn't have to be a permanent resident or anything like that.

• Children got citizenship if their parents did.

• Spouses would be able to get nationality, though they may have had to meet the requirement of being in Israel.

• Any child who was an orphan would get nationality, if they had a guardian then the guardian could apply for the child and they would get it.

Those were the basic rules. I left out some of the exceptions, but they were used to determine things. The law is here.

A lot hinged on the Registration of Inhabitants ordinance, which determined where everyone inside Israel's borders was, and what their families were like, etc. It was like a census, in a way. Using those registered documents, Israel could cross-check everything from there.

Israel's nationality law of 1952 is how most of the citizenship was determined for future arrivals after the state had been established. It set forth these criteria:

• Those who came under the Law of Return as immigrant Jews would get citizenship.

• If you lived in the area and had citizenship with the British Mandate of Palestine, registered as an inhabitant before March 1, 1952 under the registration of inhabitants law of 1949, and were inside Israel's borders, you got citizenship.

• If you were born to Israeli parents, you'd be Israeli.

• If you meet the requirements for naturalization, which include being a legal permanent resident for 3 out of the last 5 years, intend to settle in Israel, had some knowledge of Hebrew, and renounced prior citizenship, you could get Israeli citizenship.

• If you fought in the IDF or lost a child in such service, you could get citizenship through naturalization only by proving you intended to live in Israel, you wouldn't have to be a permanent resident or anything like that.

• Children got citizenship if their parents did.

• Spouses would be able to get nationality, though they may have had to meet the requirement of being in Israel.

• Any child who was an orphan would get nationality, if they had a guardian then the guardian could apply for the child and they would get it.

Those were the basic rules. I left out some of the exceptions, but they were used to determine things. The law is here.

A lot hinged on the Registration of Inhabitants ordinance, which determined where everyone inside Israel's borders was, and what their families were like, etc. It was like a census, in a way. Using those registered documents, Israel could cross-check everything from there.

Israel's nationality law of 1952 is how most of the citizenship was determined for future arrivals after the state had been established. It set forth these criteria:

• Those who came under the Law of Return as immigrant Jews would get citizenship.

• If you lived in the area and had citizenship with the British Mandate of Palestine, registered as an inhabitant before March 1, 1952 under the registration of inhabitants law of 1949, and were inside Israel's borders, you got citizenship.

• If you were born to Israeli parents, you'd be Israeli.

• If you meet the requirements for naturalization, which include being a legal permanent resident for 3 out of the last 5 years, intend to settle in Israel, had some knowledge of Hebrew, and renounced prior citizenship, you could get Israeli citizenship.

• If you fought in the IDF or lost a child in such service, you could get citizenship through naturalization only by proving you intended to live in Israel, you wouldn't have to be a permanent resident or anything like that.

• Children got citizenship if their parents did.

• Spouses would be able to get nationality, though they may have had to meet the requirement of being in Israel.

• Any child who was an orphan would get nationality, if they had a guardian then the guardian could apply for the child and they would get it.

Those were the basic rules. I left out some of the exceptions, but they were used to determine things. The law is here.

A lot hinged on the Registration of Inhabitants ordinance, which determined where everyone inside Israel's borders was, and what their families were like, etc. It was like a census, in a way. Using those registered documents, Israel could cross-check everything from there.