Current draft of nation-state bill faces objections over clause allowing exclusion of non-Jews from Jewish communities • Education Minister Bennett suggests making it possible to earmark areas for ?the construction of Jewish-only communities instead.
By Mati Tuchfeld and Gideon Allon, ISRAEL HAYOM
Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett ?, Photo: Oren Ben Hakoon
Education Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday suggested a compromise that may facilitate the vote on the highly contested nation-state bill, which currently faces legal criticism over an article Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit has deemed discriminatory.
The nation-state bill aims to anchor Israel’s status as a “Jewish state with a democratic regime,” rather than a “Jewish and democratic state.” If passed, it will require the state to preserve the country’s Jewish character and protect state symbols and sacred Jewish sites according to Jewish tradition. If enacted, it will become one of Israel’s basic laws, which have been recognized by the courts as a de facto constitution.
The already controversial legislative proposal sparked a political firestorm earlier this week after Mendelblit ruled that Article 7b in the bill, which allows Jewish communities to legally exclude non-Jews, is discriminatory and should be removed.
On Monday, in a highly unusual move, President Reuven Rivlin publicly came out against the controversial clause, warning that including such a provision in the bill “effectively allows any group to build a community without Mizrahi Jews, haredi Jews, Druze or LGBTQ people. I am concerned that the sweeping, unbalanced wording of this clause may harm the Jewish people, Jews throughout the world, and the State of Israel and could even be used as a weapon against us by our enemies.”
As a compromise, Bennett, who heads the Habayit Hayehudi party, has suggested an alternate provision, stipulating that Jewish communities would be “allowed to maintain their character” and that the state would have the power to earmark certain areas for the construction of Jewish-only communities, especially in national priority areas such as the Negev and the Galilee.
Bennett’s compromise would see Article 7 in the nation-state bill include two clauses: The first will stipulate that “the state will act to Judaize the Negev and the Galilee and other communities as determined by national considerations. The state will also cultivate Jewish settlement there by way of, among other things, incentives to encourage Jewish settlement in these communities.”
The second clause will stipulate that “state institutions will, independently or in collaboration with state agencies, work to promote Jewish settlement nationwide.”
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Habayit Hayehudi MK Nissan Slomiansky, who is the co-chair of the ministerial committee debating the language of the nation-state bill, were reportedly party to drafting Bennett’s proposal.
Sources familiar with the issue told Israel Hayom that Bennett has discussed the proposed revisions with the heads of the coalition factions and none of them expressed objections to the change, effectively giving it the green light.
Hopefully you didn’t misunderstand my comment. I did not say Israel WAS an apartheid state, nor did I say it WOULD be an apartheid state if the present legislation is adopted without Bennet’s amendment. I said the world, which always thinks the worst of Israel, would DECLARE it to support their false accusation that Israel WAS an aparteid state.
I have both experienced and seen racial and religious discrimination. Although I grew up in Canada, my father was able to buy a home only 3 houses away from the community where the land titles were restricted againt sale to Jews. However the public school was only a block away within the restricted zone, and I was on e of only 3 Jews in the school. I was bullied and beaten up by gangs now and then, and only once did I complain to the school principal because he slapped my plaml with a ruiler for being a “snitch”. Although I liked to ski, the only place where there was a ski tow was a private club with a sign in front that said “No dogs or Jews allowed”. Although there were 2 or 3 golf clubs around the city, the Jews had to buy the land to develop their own club if they wanted to play golf on a better course than the decrepit municipal one.
I did not experience racial prejudice until I was 16 when my parents took me to Florida at Christmas vacation. In a department store I saw for the first time in my life what you wrote about – two fountains side by side, the nice clean cooler-fountain for “Whites Only” ane the dirty sink and tap with a sign “Colored Only”. When I got on a bus and went to sit at the back where I always liked to ride, the driver would not move the bus until I moved to the front.
I’ve had my taste of it all, and now I live where Jews are not only respected but admired (although not really allowed to practise their religion openly) – in China.
@ Buzz of the Orient:
As I posted just yesterday, to know what apartheid really was, you must talk to a Sth African Mixed Race person or a black, who was living there before and up to 1984. Then you’ll know what apartheid REALLY was. There is nothing in Israel that even minusculely, remotely, accidentally, resembles a faint shadow of such a life.
Both my mother-in law and my wife, mixed race, were teachers who had up to 80 kids in very substandard schools. The teachers needed only 2 years of training college during which time they were also “teaching”. They couldn’t sit on park benches except those specially for them, othewise there were severe penalties, jail and more. Could only drink water from maybe one tap set apart from perhaps 5=6 close by but forbidden. And of course could only live in a completely segregated very low standard home. well away from the whire areas etc.etc.
I’m not a religious Jew either, but I think that Bennett’s concept of declaring NON-goyim-rein areas is better than proving to the rest of the world that Israel IS an apartheid state.
Although I’m not a religious Jew myself, I consider it offensive for our Jewish state to ignore the important needs of religious Jews such as housing. For our religion to continue to exist, we need the haredim and other religious Jews to prosper. As long as the secular Jews like myself are not harmed, I totally approve of the concept of the nation state bill and I hope all parties can agree to it.
Whats the current situation re JEWS into arab towns? Is buying in say um el fham cheaper than hadera? Will the next move be ISRAELIS only? I cause lots of problems as I do not have a number. Really caused a cafuffal trying to get a parking ticket cancelled, needs to go before the judge, but i ain’t gotta a number.