Controversy in Israel by a law that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people

JERUSALEM – "C & # 39; is a historic moment in the history of Zionism and in the history of the state of Israel. "This is how the Prime Minister of Israel defined


Benjamin Netanyahu
the new law pbaded by the parliament last night by 62 votes in favor, 55 against and two abstentions, declaring the country as the national state of the
The Jewish people but, as the critics warn, ignore minorities.

"


Israel
is the national state of the Jewish people, which honors the individual rights of all its citizens, "added the prime minister." I repeat, it is our state. The Jewish State Lately, there are people who are trying to destabilize this and, therefore, destabilize the foundations of our existence and our rights. So today we have turned it into law. This is our
Country. It's our language. It's our anthem and it's our flag. Long live the State of
Israel.

What does the new law say? Among other things, it defines Israel as a national state of the Jewish people, reaffirms the status of Jerusalem as the capital and says that "only Jews have the right to exercise their national self-determination in the state of Israel. "In addition, he recognizes only Hebrew as an official language.

Opponents of the law have stated that he marginalizes the country's Arab minority, about 20% of the population, and degrades the language. Arab official to have a "special" position: Arab Israelis, opposition politicians and civil liberties groups consider that such legislation subjects the democratic condition of Israel to its character Jewish, at the expense of minorities

" Separation, Discrimination and Racism is now anchored in the law, "said Ayman Odeh, head of the joint list, a political alliance of eminently Arab parties." It is a law of Jewish superiority that excludes more than 20% citizens, and is completely designed to challenge, divide, denigrate and continue the provocation of the Netanyahu government. "

Eugene Kontorovich, director of international law at the Kohelet Policy Forum, a conservative think tank in Jerusalem, defended the rule on the grounds that "It is similar to the provisions of many Western democratic constitutions, which establish an official language and a national character reflecting the majority of the population. "

The government has said that the only thing the text, approved at dawn, does is to give force to the character who already has Israel." The Israeli Declaration of Independence of 1948 defined its nature as a Jewish and democratic state, a delicate balance that the nation tries to maintain for 70 years.

AP and DPA Agencies