Tension in Israel Over the Jewish 'Nation-State' Bill

On Tuesday, July 9, the Israeli parliament prepared a bill for voting that was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of the ruling Likud party, titled the 'Jewish Nation-State' law. According to several Israeli media outlets, the transformation of this 'nation-building' bill into law, while emphasizing the superiority of the Hebrew language in the country, could prevent non-Jews from living and settling in Jewish cities and settlements. The government bill states that Israel is the 'nation-state of the Jewish people' and that Jews have the right to self-determination in it; Jerusalem is the capital and the official language of the country is Hebrew. For seventy years of Israel's existence, Arabic has been considered an official language alongside Hebrew. The Declaration of Independence emphasized the Jewish nature of Israel while also stressing the equality of rights for non-Jews with Jews. Jews make up about 75% of Israel's population; 21% are Arab Muslims, Christians, and Druze, and the remaining 4% are other demographic groups. While Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters insist on the transformation of this bill into law, Reuven Rivlin, the President of Israel, on Tuesday urged members of the Knesset in a letter to refrain from approving it. According to the Jerusalem Post, Mr. Rivlin expressed concern that this law could be seen as discrimination against non-Jews and could harm Jews worldwide and in Israel. In his letter, the President wrote: 'Settlements and cities where only Jews live primarily harm the Jewish nation, including Jews abroad.' According to Mr. Rivlin, in the future, might there be those who do not wish to live in cities and settlements of non-religious, Eastern descent, or this or that sect? 'This was not the dream of Jewish nationalism in establishing Israel.' Such intervention by the President of Israel in legislative matters, while the presidency in this country is largely ceremonial, has been described by observers in Israeli media as 'unprecedented.' However, supporters of the law rejected the President's intervention; Miki Zohar, head of the Knesset's legislative committee, pointed to Mr. Rivlin's political party background, stating he has 'always remained a politician.' Miki Zohar emphasized that this law 'homogenizes' populations in cities and settlements, and Arabs can also live 'uniformly' in their cities. Representatives of Arab parties in the Knesset have long considered the bill 'racist'; one of them told Hebrew media that Israel seems to have chosen the second option between democracy and Judaism. The meeting of special committees in the Knesset to finalize the bill for voting was tense; Tzipi Livni, a leader of the Israeli opposition, was expelled from the controversial Knesset legislative committee meeting while reading sentences from Israel's Declaration of Independence in protest against the bill. Benny Begin, the son of former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, who is one of the few Likud members opposing this law, said in an interview with the Hebrew radio on Tuesday that this bill is 'ugly' and tarnishes Israel's image in the world. According to Mr. Begin, 'Imagine if in a country like the Netherlands, a settlement were established stating that Jews have no right to live there; in that case, those who wrote this law would be the first to protest against it.' According to Wynet, Raz Nazari, one of the highest-ranking officials in the Israeli government legal institution, also stated on Tuesday that passing a law with the concept of 'exclusion' of part of society would have 'consequences' for Israel on the international stage. However, the government bill, if passed in the third and final reading, could face obstacles from the Supreme Court, although opponents of the government say that the Likud party and its supporters are in a rush to limit the power of the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu is also facing another governmental dilemma; religious parties warned him on Tuesday that the exemption of Orthodox Jews from military service must be approved quickly. Netanyahu has requested more time from the Supreme Court for the approval of the exemption from military service for Orthodox Jews. However, Avigdor Lieberman, the Minister of Defense and leader of the 'Israel Our Home' party, which is part of Netanyahu's government coalition, is strongly opposed to exempting Orthodox Jews from military service. Despite these problems, and while Mr. Netanyahu was once again questioned by Israeli police investigators on suspicion of corruption on Tuesday, he expressed 'confidence' regarding the approval of the laws desired by himself and his supporters in the Knesset, as well as regarding the survival of his government until the end of its legal term.