Controversial
\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called its passage a \u201chistoric moment in the history of Zionism and the history of the state of Israel\u201d
\nINP
\nJERUSALEM
\nIsrael\u2019s parliament on Thursday approved a controversial piece of legislation that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people but which critics warn sidelines minorities.
\nThe government says the bill, passed in the early morning hours, will merely enshrine into law Israel\u2019s existing character. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called its passage a \u201chistoric moment in the history of Zionism and the history of the state of Israel.\u201d
\n\u201cIsrael is the nation state of the Jewish people, which honors the individual rights of all its citizens,\u201d he said. \u201cI repeat this is our state. The Jewish state.\u201d
\n\u201cLately, there are people who are trying to destabilize this and therefore destabilize the foundations of our existence and our rights,\u201d he added. \u201cSo today we have made a law in stone. This is our country. This is our language. This is our anthem and this is our flag. Long live the state of Israel.\u201d
\nIsrael\u2019s 1948 declaration of independence defined its nature as a Jewish and democratic state, a delicate balance the country has grappled to maintain for 70 years.
\nOpponents of the new bill say it marginalizes the country\u2019s Arab minority of around 20 percent and also downgrades Arabic language from official to \u201cspecial\u201d standing.
\nThe law passed with a 62-55 backing, with two members of the Knesset abstaining. The legislation, defined as a \u201cbasic law,\u201d granting it quasi-constitutional status, will likely face a challenge at the Supreme Court.
\nLawmakers took turns to passionately express their views in a rowdy, hours-long debate in parliament overnight.
\nAyman Odeh, the head of the Arab Joint List, pulled out a black flag and waved it during his speech, warning of the implications of the law.
\n\u201cThis is an evil law,\u201d he told lawmakers, adding that \u201ca black flag hovers over it.\u201d
\n\u201cToday, I will have to tell my children, along with all the children of Palestinian Arab towns \u2026 that the state has declared that it does not want us here,\u201d Odeh said in a statement later. \u201cIt has passed a law of Jewish supremacy and told us that we will always be second-class citizens.\u201d
\nBenny Begin, son of former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, the founder of Netanyahu\u2019s ruling Likud party, abstained from voting, warning of the party\u2019s growing disconnect from human rights.
\n\u201cThis is not a decision I expected from the Likud leadership,\u201d he said.
\nEugene Kontorovich, international law director at the Kohelet Policy Forum, a conservative Jerusalem think tank, defended the bill, arguing it \u201cis similar to provisions in many Western democratic constitutions, which provide for an official language and national character that reflects the majority of the population.\u201d
\nKontorovich dismissed the \u201cfaux outrage\u201d against the bill as \u201csimply another attempt to single-out the Jewish state and hold her to a double standard.\u201d
\nAmerican Jewish organizations also expressed their disapproval of the law.
\nThe American Jewish Committee, a group representing the Jewish Diaspora, said it was \u201cdeeply disappointed,\u201d adding that the law \u201cputs at risk the commitment of Israel\u2019s founders to build a country that is both Jewish and democratic.\u201d
\nJeremy Ben Ami, president of J Street, a Washington liberal pro-Israel group, said the bill\u2019s purpose is \u201cto send a message to the Arab community, the LGBT community and other minorities in Israel, that they are not and never will be equal citizens.\u201d
\n\u201cStrong connection between Israel and Jews worldwide is based on these values that Israel is both a Jewish and democratic state,\u201d Ben Ami said, adding concerns the bill would \u201cweaken the strength of Israel\u2019s democracy.\u201d
\nLawmakers had removed the most contentious clause of the bill on Sunday which would have allowed the establishment of \u201cseparate communities\u201d and which critics had called racist.
\nIsraelis, including President Reuven Rivlin and attorney general, voiced opposition to the earlier draft of the bill. Israelis opposed to the bill, deeming it discriminatory, took to the streets to protest in large numbers on Saturday in Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Controversial Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called its passage a \u201chistoric moment in the history of Zionism and the history of the state of Israel\u201d INP JERUSALEM Israel\u2019s parliament on Thursday approved a controversial piece of legislation that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people but which critics warn sidelines minorities. The government […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28648,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-28640","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n