ISRAEL’S CABINET has approved a controversial amendment to the country’s Citizenship Act requiring non-Jews seeking citizenship to swear allegiance to Israel “as a Jewish and democratic state”. The Bill, which passed by 22-8 votes, will now go to the Knesset parliament for approval. All five Labour Party ministers, as well as three from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own Likud party, voted against.
The new measure does not apply to Jews, who have an automatic right to settle in Israel and seek citizenship under Israel’s law of return. It will mainly apply to Palestinians who seek to marry Israeli Arabs, and to foreign workers.
Speaking in favour of the amendment, Mr Netanyahu said anyone wishing to become an Israeli will have to accept that Israel is both a Jewish state and a democracy.
“To my regret, today, there are those who are trying to blur not only the unique connection between the Jewish people and its homeland, but also the connection between the Jewish people and its state,” he said.
“Democracy is the soul of Israel and we cannot do without it.”
Right-wing parties in the coalition welcomed the move. Hardline foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman insisted that such an amendment was part of the coalition agreement before his Yisrael Beiteinu party joined the Netanyahu government.
Israeli-Arab Knesset member Ahmed Tibi accused the government of becoming a “stooge of Yisrael Beiteinu and its fascist policies”.
“There is no other country in the world that forces its citizens to swear an oath to a sectarian ideology. Israel has proven it is not egalitarian, but is rather democratic only towards Jews – and Jewish towards Arabs,” he said.
In an effort to deflect the charges of racism, the ministerial committee preparing the Bill ahead of the Knesset vote will consider a change whereby Jews as well as non-Jews will be required to take the amended loyalty oath.
Mr Netanyahu recently insisted that the Palestinians recognised Israel as a Jewish state as part of a future peace deal.
The Palestinian leadership rejected the proposal.
Both Mr Netanyahu and Mr Lieberman denied that the Citizenship law amendment was part of a deal to win right-wing support for a package with the Americans involving a renewal of the freeze on building in West Bank settlements.
SIC: IT/IE