ISRAELI PRIME minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a change to the
controversial Citizenship Bill so that Jews as well as non-Jews will
now have to swear allegiance to Israel as a “Jewish and democratic
state”.
Last week, ministers approved an amendment to the
Citizenship Act requiring all non-Jews seeking to become Israeli
citizens to swear the oath of allegiance.
The measure mainly affected
Palestinians seeking to marry Israeli Arabs, and foreign workers.
The
amendment did not initially apply to Jews, who have an automatic right
to settle in Israel and seek citizenship.
The proposal, which
still has to be approved by the Knesset parliament, was strongly
condemned as racist and discriminatory. Six thousand people, Jews and
Arabs, rallied in Tel Aviv over the weekend to protest against the Bill.
This week, British filmmaker Mike Leigh cancelled a visit to Israel in
protest against the amendment.
Labour party ministers and three
ministers from the prime minister’s Likud party voted against the
amendment.
Some opponents of the Bill argued that by singling out
non-Jews, the measure was clearly discriminatory.
Others maintained it
would not make it any more palatable for Israel’s Arab minority – forced
to swear allegiance to a Jewish state – whether Jews were required to
take the same oath.
Officials in the prime minister’s office
denied that Mr Netanyahu had done a U-turn or backed off under domestic
and international criticism, noting he had suggested during last week’s
ministerial discussion it may be better if Jews were required to swear
allegiance.
His decision to include all would-be citizens,
regardless of nationality or religion, will undoubtedly undermine some
domestic opposition to the measure and make it easier for the bill to
pass through the Knesset. Opposition remains strong, however.
Israeli
Arab Knesset member Jamal Zahalka said yesterday the law remains racist
because it demands that Palestinians “debase themselves by swearing
allegiance to the Jewish state”.
Avishai Braverman, one of the
five Labour party ministers who voted against the initial amendment,
said the new change will make no difference.
“The amendment requiring
Jews to pledge their allegiance to a Jewish and democratic state will
not remedy the damage to Israel’s international image, and will not
repair the damage to Jewish-Arab relations,” he said.
Knesset members
yesterday convened to discuss the bill and what some termed the “threat
to Israeli democracy” inherent in the measure.
Some speakers noted
that hardline foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael
Beiteinu party had been the prime instigators of the legislation. Shlomo
Molla, a Knesset member from the opposition centrist Kadima party said:
“Israel is thriving, but the introduction of these anti-democratic laws
must end. We came here to say: ‘Stop Lieberman’s fascism’.”
Israeli Arab parliamentarian Hanin Zoabi said Mr Lieberman set the tone and the rest of the government ran after him.
SIC: IT/IE