Jews only!

FP 5. Juni 2013

Haaretz Jun.02, 2013

Israel's Jewish identity card
By Israel Harel

The words of Netanyahu's draft bill are the heart and soul of Zionism. They embody the sentiments found in Israel’s declaration of independence. But what the prime minster demanded of the Palestinians, he refuses to do himself.

Excerpts:
“Israel is a Jewish state and national home for the Jewish people ... and only Jewish people may realize the right to self-determination in the state of Israel.”

Full article:
In order for Israel to be convinced that the Palestinians are seeking true peace, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that they recognize Israel as a Jewish state and the national home of the Jewish people. It must be more than lip service − the recognition must be included in the Palestinian Authority’s basic principles. In turn, the Knesset will recognize Palestine in a similar fashion.

Netanyahu made his demand as over 40 MKs signed a draft bill proposing a new Basic Law on the Nation State. The first clause of the bill, upon which 15 additional clauses are based, states that “Israel is a Jewish state and national home for the Jewish people ... and only Jewish people may realize the right to self-determination in the state of Israel.”

These statements are the heart and soul of Zionism. They embody the sentiments found in Israel’s declaration of independence, and a great majority of Israeli citizens identify with them wholeheartedly. But what the prime minster demanded of the Palestinians, he refuses to do himself.

Outspoken opposition within the media has made him − like more than a few MKs who signed the bill − weak at the knees. No doubt he will follow his usual course of behavior: sit and wait it out, even if he believes the law is an historic breakthrough. Coalition chairman MK Yariv Levin is currently kicking up dust in the debate over the proposed Basic Law, as the opposition’s artillery is sounding − just like during the previous Knesset, which managed to force the bill’s languid supporters to rush for cover and remove the bill from the legislative agenda.

A constitution, or a Basic Law − in the event that it’s impossible to draft a constitution − can determine the general direction in a which a state marches; be the heart of its collective identity. As an example, there’s the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Freedom ‏(1992‏), which has been transformed − in name and practice − into a national institution. There is hardly any basic principle concerning the state not based on that Basic Law. Judges have used a wide interpretation of it to advance various ideas and agendas, sometimes extreme − thus harming the Jewish, Zionist identity of the state and causing tough internal disagreements.

The would-be Basic Law on the Nation State reflects a wide Zionist consensus. Those opposed to the bill have voiced their opposition to that consensus with sharp, biting words ‏(the Haaretz editorial on May 30, “Apartheid in Israel,” claimed that the legislation has a black flag waving over it‏). The opposition is striving for Israel to become a state for all its citizens. They also support two states for two peoples: a state for all citizens ‏(Israel‏), alongside an ethnic Palestinian state. To deal with this absurdity, the Knesset must urgently pass the bill. A solid majority in favor exists within the Knesset − but that majority lacks a leader. Habayit Hayehudi, which included passage of the bill in the coalition agreement, is not acting on its behalf, but rather dealing with internal disagreements, which could bring about a rift in the party.

It has been almost 20 years since Israel last passed a Basic Law ‏(the Basic Law on the Freedom of Occupation‏). Netanyahu can change this. The Basic Law on the Nation State, which will solidify the principles of national faith, will also solidify its place in history. Any act undertaken by Netanyahu up until this point will not resemble, nor be nearly as worthwhile, as the fundamental significance of this law. A Basic Law immortalizing the state of Israel’s Jewish identity is not just a law − it’s an identity card. Netanyahu, if he dares, could even name the law after himself.
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