Protests Across Israel Against the 'Jewish Nation-State Law'

Thousands of Arab residents in Israel protested on Saturday evening, August 4, against the 'Jewish Nation-State Law' in their local communities, while tens of thousands of other Israelis, including Jews, gathered in Tel Aviv to express their opposition to the law. The Israeli parliament approved the bill proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 19, which describes the country as the historical homeland of the Jewish people and grants Jews the right to self-determination in the country. According to Israeli media, the protests on Saturday evening were the largest demonstrations since the law was passed. All communities inhabited by the Druze Arab community in the north, as well as cities with Christian and Muslim Arabs in both northern and southern Israel, witnessed protests against this law. Reports indicate that large crowds of Arab protesters in Majd al-Krum, Umm al-Fahm, Tayibe, Sakhnin, Kafr Qana, Rahat, and Baqa al-Gharbiyye disrupted traffic and affected the normal course of life. Arab demonstrators from various tribes described the law as 'racist' in their chants and stated that they would take 'necessary steps in the near future'; they included general strikes that would also impact Jewish lives as part of their strategies. Simultaneously, thousands of Israelis, including Jews, gathered for the second Saturday in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv to protest the 'Jewish Nation-State Law'. Media reports emphasize that the Tel Aviv protests were larger than the previous Saturday, and several prominent figures from the Druze Arab community also chose to protest in Tel Aviv. Israeli opposition parties supported the protests, especially those by Jews. According to Walla News, Tamir Pardo, former head of the Mossad intelligence agency, and Yuval Diskin, former head of the internal security service Shabak, were also present to support the demonstrators, with Pardo labeling the law as unjust for the Druze. Arabs and other non-Jews in Israel claim that with the passage of this law, they feel they have become 'second-class citizens'. Arab representatives in the Israeli parliament strongly protested against the law, but since the Druze community has been part of the military, police, and other security institutions in Israel for 70 years, their voices of dissent have been louder in the past two weeks. A number of Druze officers have recently resigned from service in the Israeli army, and at the same time, a delegation of Druze Arab leaders met with Benjamin Netanyahu last Thursday. Colonel Amal Assad, a well-known Druze officer in the Israeli army, described the law as encouraging 'apartheid' in front of the Prime Minister, prompting Netanyahu to end the meeting. Colonel Assad stated at the Saturday evening protest in Tel Aviv that the country should be 'a land for all its citizens and we want to be allowed to maintain our Israeli identity'; he, like other speakers, called for changes to the controversial clauses in the law. Netanyahu stated that an amendment could be added regarding the Druze Arabs to emphasize their equal rights as citizens, but not to the extent of granting them equal rights with Jews in determining the fate of the country; the Druze Arabs rejected this proposal. The Prime Minister described the passage of this law, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the state of Israel, as a 'defining' and historic moment, but opposition leaders have deemed it contradictory to the country's Declaration of Independence. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu's government has believed for years that the Supreme Court is dominated by a majority of leftist judges, and the passage of this fundamental law was deemed necessary for the court's operations. Since Israel deliberately does not want to have a constitution, the Jewish Nation-State Law, despite internal and international protests, is expected to soon form the basis of a series of fundamental laws in Israel. This law, alongside the right of Jews to determine the fate of their country, emphasizes that Hebrew is the official language while effectively removing Arabic from official status and reinforcing settlement expansion as a privilege and value. The law raises the possibility of increased construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. According to the Jerusalem Post, a survey last week indicated that 58% of Jews are pleased with the law's passage, and 61% of Jews believe that the law does not affect the status of Druze Arabs. Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan, which have full peace treaties with Israel, have condemned Israel, and the President of Turkey has claimed that 'the spirit of Hitler has possessed some Israeli statesmen'. Bahram Qasemi, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, also stated that the Israeli parliament's action is 'another confirmation of the racist nature and approach of this regime in its seventy years of existence'. The European Union and many global organizations have reacted negatively to the aforementioned law.