Israeli Court Recognizes Gay Partner Rights
by 365Gay.com from the Web, November 14, 2004
Tel Aviv, Israel -- An Israeli court Sunday ruled that same-sex couples have the same rights as married couples in inheritance rights.
The ruling, by the Nazareth District Court, overturns a Family Court ruling that an elderly man from Kiryat Shmona was not entitled to spousal rights.
The man, who was not named, had sought the estate of his late partner, with whom he lived for several decades, the newspaper Haaretz reports.
The Nazareth judges ruled that the term "man and woman" as spelled out in Israel's inheritance law also includes same sex couples.
Judges Nissim Maman and Gabriela Levy, who issued the majority opinion, based their decision on a loose interpretation of the term "partner" as defined in other court rulings, such as those dealing with issues related to employment benefits, and thus applied the interpretation to the inheritance law.
The acting president of the Nazareth District Court, Menachem Ben-David, issued the minority opinion, arguing that the legal text should not be interpreted "contrary to the lingual significance."
A government spokesperson said the ruling will be appealed.
In September, Uzi Even, the first openly gay man elected to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, married his longtime partner in Canada where same-sex marriage is legal.
Even is on a campaign to have his marriage recognized in Israel.
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