Supporters of civil marriage in Israel argue that the status quo agreement violates the rights of Israeli citizens by: imposing religious standards on those who do not desire it. creating difficulty for the marriages of people who belong to different religious communities and people who do not observe any religion. not permitting marriages of those who are prohibited by halakha, such as marriage between a person considered to be a mamzer, or a Cohen wishing to marry a divorcee. It also prohibits widows who did not have any children from a previous husband from getting remarried without passing halizah. restricting religious equality by refusing to delegate authority to Reform and Conservative communities. discriminating against women, by the inclusion of institutions such as Agunot and "recalcitrant wives", and by refusing to permit women to officiate as rabbis in the rabbinical court. Supporters of civil marriage also argue that the status quo agreement is in breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16, which states that "men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family." After Rabbi Dov Haiyun was arrested for performing an unsanctioned wedding, the director of Israeli civil rights organization Israel Hofsheet (Be Free Israel) called for the "immediate legislation of a civil marriage law". Arrangement attempts of the legal situation The verdict At the times when people petitioned the Supreme Court of Israel, trying to convince the Supreme Court to form an authority of civil marriages, the Supreme Court refused to do so, declaring that this was the responsibility of the Knesset. In cases when people requested to proclaim themselves as being "non-religious", in order that the court would be able to recognize his or her marriage according to an acceptable civil judgment, the court rejected their assertion. The only time in which the Court determined that the Ministry had to recognize a marriage between a Cohen and a divorcee was when it was based on the religious law that determines that those are forbidden marriages from the start but allowable post factum. Alternative methods Over time, a number of alternative methods have been used by couples who wished to marry without a religious ceremony, or who were unable to marry in Israel. One method is to marry outside Israel; nearby Cyprus became the most convenient venue for many Israelis.