Jerusalem: Israel’s government on Sunday endorsed a proposal to anchor in law the country’s status as the national homeland of the Jewish people, drawing fire from critics who said it weakened democracy.
“The cabinet today approved a draft basic law: ‘Israel the national state of the Jewish people’” said a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, one of whose MPs was a sponsor.
Mr Netanyahu also announced a separate initiative to strip Arabs of their residency and welfare rights if they or their relatives take part in unrest.
Following a stormy meeting, the cabinet voted 14 to six in favour of the national homeland proposal, with ministers from the two centrist parties HaTnuah led by justice minister Tzipi Livni and Yesh Atid of finance minister Yair Lapid voting against.
The proposal would mean Israel would no longer be defined in its Basic Laws as “Jewish and democratic” but instead as “the national homeland of the Jewish people”. Critics, who include the government’s top legal adviser, say the proposed change to the laws that act as Israel’s effective constitution could institutionalise discrimination against its 1.7 million Arab citizens. By giving preeminence to the “Jewish” character of Israel over its democratic nature, the law in its current format is anti-democratic, they say.
Benjamin Netanyahu warns Franch parliament
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that France’s parliament would be making a “grave mistake” if it recognises a Palestinian state in a vote on December 2.
“Do they have nothing better to do at a time of beheadings across the Middle East, including that of a French citizen?” he told reporters in Jerusalem, referring to hiker Herve Gourdel who was executed by his jihadist captors in Algeria in September.
“Recognition of a Palestinian state by France would be a grave mistake,” he said.
“The Palestinians demanding a state do not want to recognise the right to have a state for the Jewish people,” he told members of Jewish community from France.
