Israel's Law of Return now extends to the non-Jewish spouses in gay and lesbian married couples, Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on Monday, after issuing the directive to the Immigration and Population Authority. The regulation has already come into effect, as the first such couple completed the immigration process to Israel on Monday morning. "The gates of Israel are open to all Jews and their families, without discrimination based on lifestyle," Sa'ar said. According to the Law of Return, any Jew can make aliyah to Israel with his or her spouse. But this law had, until Monday, only been applicable to heterosexual couples. In his directive to the immigration authority, Sa'ar wrote that he "sees no place for differentiating between Jews who were married in heterosexual marriages, or Jews who were married to the same gender abroad, according to law."
