Controversial Law Adopted: Israel Becomes "Jewish Nation State"

For some it is a "key moment", for others it is the "death of democracy": In Israel, there is a law that puts the accent on the Jews and degrades the Arabic. The most controversial clause has been defused

The Israeli parliament has pbaded a controversial bill to strengthen the Jewish character of the country. It defines Israel as a nation-state for the Jewish people and the historic Jewish homeland. Hebrew should be the official national language, the old Arabic official language only has a special status. The status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is reaffirmed

"Decisive Moment"

After hours of sometimes heated debates, the text was adopted – 62 deputies voted in favor, 55 against. "This is a crucial moment in the history of the Israeli state," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the vote. According to the Government, the new law merely transposes the existing character of Israel into law

"Death to Democracy"

. Critics, on the other hand, warned that it marginalized the minority of Israeli Arabs. About 20% of Israelis are Arabs. Ajman Odeh, chief of the "United List", mostly composed of Arab parties, spoke in his speech of a "bad law", the Arab MP Ahmed Tibi of a "racist law", which means " death of democracy "in Israel. Other politicians responded with protests and tore up the bill in a symbolic gesture.

Original text modified

The original project of the so-called "nationality law" was, however, considerably defused. A particularly controversial paragraph was originally intended to allow the construction of exclusively Jewish residences. Communities could have excluded people because of their religion or nationality. After a harsh criticism, the new version contains only the phrase: "The state considers the development of Jewish communities as a national value and will encourage and encourage it."

Last week Israel reprimanded Emanuele Giaufret, EU ambbadador. It is said to have criticized racist trends in the law, according to the media. Even the Attorney General of Israel warned of the international consequences if the law was to be adopted in the form initially discussed. President Reuven Rivlin also opposed the draft bill.