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Critics believe that if passed, the law will actually promote Israeli Jewish values at the expense of democratic values
Thousands of protesters participated in an "emergency rally" in downtown Tel Aviv Saturday night to protest the controversial nation of Israel. Israeli parliamentarians, public figures and activists took part in the demonstration, gave speeches and parade with banners, one of which said: "We are all at home." [19659003] The organizations of Civil society and individuals promoting social justice and coexistence have issued a joint statement: "The law of the nation-state would turn racism, discrimination and segregation into an inevitable part of our society. More than that, racism and discrimination are increasingly desired and central in the state of Israel.The law of the nation-state will bring about exclusion and harm to minorities at terrifying levels we have never seen before.Our position is clear: all citizens are equal. "
If passed, Likud-sponsored legislation would put Israel more firmly in place # 39; nation-state of the Jewish people, giving priority to many, the Jews. values on the democratic ones. In this regard, the proposed law would devote Hebrew as the only official language of the state, while downgrading the Arabic from an official language to a language with a "status". unique". The Hebrew calendar would also become the official calendar of Hebrew. State, recognize Jewish symbols like the Menorah as those of the state, and strengthen the status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
But more disturbing to the opponents of the bill was the provision allowing the establishment of what they considered segregated communities. He stated that "the state can allow a community, including members of a religion or a nationality, to maintain a separate community regulation."
Critics argue that this provision would have legalized housing discrimination against Arabs and other minorities such as Ethiopians. Druze and Gay, among others
On Sunday, however, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Naftali Bennett found a compromise to amend the controversial clause. The new one, which will be voted on in the coming days, states that "the state considers the development of Jewish colonization as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment and consolidation".
Opponents are also concerned about bill will tarnish the image of Israel abroad. President Reuven Rivlin, whose position is largely symbolic, expressed his concerns in a rare example of presidential political intervention. In a letter to legislators, he warned the bill "could harm the Jewish people around the world and in Israel and could even be used as a weapon by our enemies."
Likud MP Avi Dichter introduced the bill In 2014, after being criticized by all parties – from opposition to more liberal Likud members – the bill was relegated in the background. Since then, the bill has inspired many incarnations, even though none of them has gone through the entire legislative process.
Israeli parliamentarians must propose amendments to the latest draft law with the aim of finalizing it by 22 July. when parliament disperses for the summer holidays
Meanwhile, Jewish leaders in the United States resumed their lobbying efforts in hopes of persuading Jerusalem to get rid of the bill. Many worry that this will mark the end of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, determined to defend universal values.
Amir Fuchs, head of the Democratic Values Advocacy Program at the Israel Institute for Democracy, told The Media Line that the bill, if passed, would damage the reputation of the government. # 39; Israel.
"I would not be surprised I do not agree with that, but I can understand why people would interpret it as a very discriminatory law that would harm Israeli democracy."
has characterized the qualification of "apartheid" as inaccurate because the bill does not create classes subject to different regulations.In his view, it is also highly unlikely that other laws are created to give more rights to Jews than to non-Jews.
But Fuchs warned that the law could be used in some cases to justify policies that promote Jewish cities. "On this specific issue, I think it's a terrible law that really infringes on equality, "he said, adding that the initiative makes the game of those who hate Israel and a good weapon for the Boycott movement , disinvestment and sanctions. "
The teacher esseur Bernard Avishai, author of The Tragedy of Zionism and The Hebrew Republic argued to The Media Line that the bill is an attempt to codify a reality that has existed since the 1930s.
"Then there was an insurgent community of revolutionary Zionists who were trying to create something in Palestine. They needed these standards and a segregated way of life to shoot down the DNA of a Hebrew-speaking society and incubate what Israel eventually became. "
Today, however, Professor Avishai does not believe that such a system is necessary and, furthermore, does not fit well with Israeli democratic values.
On the contrary, he believes that the proposed law is an obstacle for Israeli liberals who struggle against "the legacy of the revolutionary Zionist institutions that created these forms of discrimination anyway."
These liberals "were trying to imagine an Israel which could be democratic in a form that the international community would recognize.This law becomes an obstacle because suddenly the things the Israeli liberals are fighting for change have taken on a quasi-constitutional status. "
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