0.1662
900 319 0030
x

Israel’s “Nation State Law”

iasparliament Logo
July 20, 2018

What is the issue?

  • Israel’s right-wing government has piloted a “Nation State” law.
  • The law is perceived as a clear attempt to legitimise the prevalent apartheid against Arabs and also undermine any peace process with Palestine. 

What is the law about?

  • The law lays down that “Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it”.
  • While there are 1.8 million Arabs within Israel (20% of the population), the law seeks to strip Arabic off the national language status it currently enjoys.
  • It has declared Jerusalem, “whole and united” as its capital, which is implicitly antithetic to any rational solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
  • It also vows to “promote and encourage” the establishment and consolidation of Jewish settlements on occupied Palestine land (in the West Bank).
  • Further, in what is rather symbolic, this law is set to become one of Israel’s powerful “Basic Laws” that will have constitutional status.
  • Hence, it can be said that, the law is the realisation of the dream of Israeli far-right groups that strongly vouched for the ethno-religious character of Israel.

What is the political situation within Israel?

  • The supporters of the Bill say it is aimed to boost Israel’s Jewish identity and will not discriminate against minorities.
  • But strong protests by Opposition lawmakers and the Arab masses had erupted, while the bill was passed in the parliament.
  • Arab MPs have called the legislation racist and a form of apartheid aimed at creating two systems within one country.
  • In reality, within Israel and on the occupied ‘West bank’, the Arab community is already facing severe discrimination in opportunities are rights.
  • While the current Israeli government’s anti-minority politics is no secret, the law is seen as one that legitimises and institutionalises discrimination.  
  • By providing exclusive right to national self-determination only to the Jewish people and by downgrading Arabic’s status, the law sends a clear message.
  • Importantly, it seems to want to undo the concept of equality that the independence declaration of Israel promised to all its inhabitants. 

What are the implications?

  • Palestinians sees eastern Jerusalem as the future capital of their nation, but the current law asserts Israeli authority over the whole of Jerusalem.  
  • This assertion and the expansion of Jewish settlements within Palestine’s West Bank are likely to dissuade any form of genuine peace initiative.
  • Hence, the law further erodes the credibility of Israel’s professed support of an independent Palestinian state and its commitment to the two-nation theory.
  • Israel has recently passed another law that sought to place limits on Arabs living under its authority to access Israel’s High Court.  
  • Another law bans individual who are seeking “political action against Israeli state or prosecution of Israeli soldiers” abroad from entering school premises. 
  • All these laws together allow the Israeli state to institutionalise discrimination, deepen illegal settlements in Palestinian land and stifle free speech against it.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

Login or Register to Post Comments
There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to review.

ARCHIVES

MONTH/YEARWISE ARCHIVES

Free UPSC Interview Guidance Programme