Last July 19 the Israel Knesset passed the Nation-State Law 62-55. Opinion, argument and comments came quickly. Frankly, the wording of the Bill simply summed up values known for 70 years. The founding fathers proclaimed ‘the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz Israel May 14, 1948. It was to be known “as the state of Israel”’. Everyone who has become residents of the land since 1948 has clearly known the Jewish status and cultural significance of the Jewish national tradition.
The Basic Principles are listed in the Law first.
A) The land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people, in which the State of Israel was established.
B) The State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people, in which it fulfils its natural, cultural, religious and historical right to self-determination.
C) The right to exercise national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people.
No surprise there! It is also hard to argue with the ‘Symbols “ the Law lists next.
1). The name of the state is “Israel.”
2). The state flag is white with two blue stripes near the edges and a blue Star of David in the centre.
3). The state emblem is a seven-branched menorah with olive leaves on both sides and the word “Israel” beneath it.
4). The state anthem is “Hatikvah.”
As expected the usual antagonists surfaced and in my humble opinion, sought to make a mountain out of a molehill. Analyst Caroline Glick called the reactions a ‘nothingburger.’
British commentator Melanie Phillips wrote:
“Jews are a nation, and Israel is their nation-state. Its new Nationality Law does what many other nations have done: affirms the national identity of the state. Thus it ratifies Hebrew as its official language, identifies the Jewish calendar as the country’s official calendar, and establishes Independence Day, Memorial Day and Holocaust Remembrance Day as national holidays.”
As expected the usual antagonists surfaced and in my humble opinion, sought to make a mountain out of a molehill.
Among her powerful remarks she said, “Muslims want to islamize the world.” (Israel Gets Nation State right, while the west fumbles for identity, melaniephillips.com) That final remark probably infers they oppose all things Israel.
Ken Cohen, editor for FLAME magazine dealt effectively with the language issue. He said,
“One ‘controversial’ section of the law names Hebrew as Israel’s official language, while now classifying Arabic ‘only’ as having ‘special status.’ California’s population is 20% Hispanic, many of whom speak Spanish—yet Spanish has no special legal status in California. Nor does Russian have special status in Latvia, though 25% of its population speaks Russian.”
Right now the Arab population of Israel is 18 percent.
Druze Protest
The Israel Druze population unleashed rage against the law and their perceived unequal status. An estimated 120,000 Druze live in Israel. In a crowd estimated at 50,000 they swamped Tel Aviv waving Israel and Druze flags. They demanded the law be rescinded.
The Druze are an ethnic Arab minority. They serve in the armed forces and some have achieved high political and military status.
“No one can preach to us about loyalty and the military cemeteries testify to this. Despite our utter loyalty, the state does not see us as equal,” the Druze spiritual leader, Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif, told the demonstrators. “Just as we fight for the existence and security of the state so we are determined to fight together for the character and right to live in it in equality and dignity,” said Tarif.
Middle East expert Mitchell Bard responded.
“The government was particularly sensitive to the concerns of the Druze community due to their loyalty to the state and service in the military. The Jewish Federations of North America expressed solidarity with the Druze in a public statement: ‘Jewish Federations stand shoulder to shoulder with the Druze community and urge Israeli legislators to work with the community as soon as possible to address their very real concerns’.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acted quickly to quell the firestorm by appointing a team of government officials, Druze leaders and senior reserve officers to work on language to recognize the status of the Druze and Circassian communities.”
(Understanding Israel’s Nation State Law, Mitchell Bard, jewishvirtuallibrary.org)
Much has been written and argued since July. Napoleon had his say April 20, 1799. He issued ‘A Letter to the Jewish Nation’ declaring the Land of Israel an independent Jewish state. He invited all the Jews of Asia, Africa ‘to gather under my flag to re-establish Jerusalem.’
In the modern era Daniel Pipes is an award winning Middle East commentator. I am looking at the Nation-State Law through his eyes.
Daniel Pipes
“So, why the mock-principled refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state? Perhaps because the PLO still intends to eliminate Israel as a Jewish state.
Note my use of the word “eliminate,” not destroy. Yes, anti-Zionism has until now mainly taken a military form, from Gamal Abdel Nasser’s “throw the Jews into the sea” to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s “Israel must be wiped off the map.” But the power of the Israel Defense Forces has prodded anti-Zionism toward a more subtle approach of accepting an Israeli state but dismantling its Jewish character.
Anti-Zionists consider several ways to achieve this:
Demography: Palestinians could overwhelm the Jewish population of Israel, a goal signaled by their demand for a “right of return” and by their so-called war of the womb.
Politics: Arab citizens of Israel increasingly reject the country’s Jewish nature and demand that it become a bi-national state.
Terror: The 100 Palestinian attacks a week during the period, September 2000-September 2005 sought to induce economic decline, emigration, and appeasement.
Isolation: All those United Nations resolutions, editorial condemnations, and campus aggressions are meant to wear down the Zionist spirit.
Arab recognition of Israel’s Jewish nature must have top diplomatic priority. Until the Palestinians formally accept Zionism, then follow up by ceasing all their various strategies to eliminate Israel, negotiations should be halted and not restarted. Until then, there is nothing to talk about.”
(Accept Israel as the Jewish State, Daniel Pipes, Jerusalem Post, November 20, 2007)
Note: Pipes wrote those remarks in 2007.
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