[Barron]

(02-18-2019 10:17 AM)Buck Wild Wrote:  

Some Jews identify as Israelis because they are citizens of the country of Israel. In fact, there are Arab Muslims and Christians who identity as Israeli because they are also citizens of the country of Israel (they are commonly referred to as Arab Israelis).

Most Jews do not identify as Israelis because they are not citizens of the country of Israel.

So why do individuals born outside of Israel but to ideologically-identifying Jewish parents in say, the country of Ukraine, identify as Jewish and not Ukrainian?

Also see The Law of Return, from Wikipedia:
The Law of Return (Hebrew: חֹוק הַשְׁבוּת‬, ḥok ha-shvūt) is an Israeli law, passed on 5 July 1950, which gives Jews the right to come and live in Israel and to gain Israeli citizenship.

In 1970, the right of entry and settlement was extended to people with one Jewish grandparent and a person who is married to a Jew, whether or not he or she is considered Jewish under Orthodox interpretations of Halakha.