Same-sex union legislation marriages performed in the Netherlands are recognized in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry has been and remains the topic of debate worldwide. Thirty-four countries and four jurisdictions worldwide have passed constitutional amendments that explicitly prohibit the legal recognition of same-sex marriage and sometimes other forms of legal unions as well. Seventeen countries and twenty-nine jurisdictions worldwide have authorized civil unions or unregistered cohabitation for same-sex couples as an alternative to marriage. The legal name of those unions as well as the number of rights that they provide can vary greatly. The first
Recognition of same-sex unions in Israel by the Gay Fathers Association. Same-sex marriages solemnised overseas are not recognised by religious authorities in Israel. Despite the fact that same-sex marriage (or opposite-sex civil marriage) is not legal in Israel, unmarried same-sex and opposite-sex couples have equal access to many of the rights of marriage in the form of unregistered cohabitation status, similar to common-law marriage. In February 2009, MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz) introduced a civil marriage bill which included provisions for same-sex marriages. The bill was rejected in May 2012 in a 39 to 11 vote, with 70 not attending. In March 2010, the Knesset passed the