T. Belman. This is very complex stuff. Calling Israel a democratic state handcuff’s the state and empowers the court. Instead the Knesset should craft a Bill of rights where they could specify what rights go only so far or what rights trump other rights.
The compromise in the current draft would allow the court to favour Israel’s Jewish character but would not force them to. It needs to say explicitly that when Democratic values are in conflict with Jewish values, the latter shall take precident.
I changed the title in Haaretz from “would” to “might”.
Draft is the latest proposal from Netanyahu’s governing coalition of the so-called nation-state bill that critics say would stifle democracy
A new version of a bill defining Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people would force the High Court of Justice to favor Israel’s Jewish character over its democratic character should the two conflict.
The draft bill, which was crafted in recent days, defines the country as “a Jewish and democratic state” but requires the court to interpret the law based on Israel being the Jewish nation-state.
Last week a ministerial committee drafting the bill considered deleting a reference to a democratic form of government. The governing coalition is having problems bridging differences over the draft of the bill, one source told Haaretz.
“[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is pressing to have the bill approved on its first reading within two weeks,” said the source, referring to the first of three Knesset votes the bill must pass to became law. “So they will vote on a version that there is no full agreement on, and they will only try to resolve the differences in advance of a second and third reading, after the [Knesset] recess.”
Coalition Chairman David Bitan said this week he expected a preliminary vote on the bill to be held in the last week of July, before the recess.
The first section of the current draft states: “The State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people, where it is exercising its aspiration for self-determination based on its cultural and historical heritage.”
The draft adds: “The right to exercise national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people. The Land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people, and where the State of Israel has been established.”
As the final provision puts it, “The provisions of this Basic Law or any other legislation will be interpreted in light of what is provided in this section.”
Only after this provision is there is a clause referring to Israel’s democratic form of government. “This Basic Law is aimed at protecting Israel’s status as the nation-state of the Jewish people, to enshrine the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state in a Basic Law, in the spirit of the principles in the Declaration of Independence.”
The revised version was largely taken from the original, controversial nation-state bill sponsored by MK Avi Dichter (Likud). It would let judges give priority to Israel’s character as a Jewish state in cases when Israel’s Jewish values conflicted with its democratic form of government.
Last week the ministerial committee deliberated between two other versions. It considered whether to have the bill state that Israel is “a Jewish state with a democratic form of government” or to eliminate any mention of democracy and suffice with a vague clause stating that Israel is “a Jewish state in the spirit of the principles of the Declaration of Independence.”
Meanwhile, no agreement has been reached on the status of the Arabic language. The draft of the bill is expected to distinguish between the status of Hebrew and Arabic, but two versions of the provision have been drafted. While Hebrew would receive the status of “state language,” one version would give Arabic “special status in the country, [with] its speakers having the right to language access to the state’s services.”
Another version would add a provision stating: “Nothing stated in this provision shall infringe on the status awarded in practice to the Arabic language before the commencement of this Basic Law.”
“We are not committed to any of the proposed versions,” said MK Amir Ohana (Likud). “But we will absolutely hear everyone and try to arrive at a version that best expresses, without apologizing or quibbling, that in the State of Israel every individual has full human rights, while national rights are possessed by only one people, the Jewish people.”
This week, Netanyahu announced that the coalition parties had agreed to set up a Knesset committee to prepare the bill for the later Knesset votes. The panel will have 16 members drawn from the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and the Knesset House Committee. Ten will be members of the coalition, with six from the opposition. Ohana is expected to serve as chairman.
Netanyahu has insisted that the committee be chaired by a member of his Likud party, as a sign that the legislation is a direct initiative of the party. Still, members from other parties signed on as cosponsors of Dichter’s bill.
***
JPOST reports on it differently.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Sunday for the controversial bill “Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People” to be legislated faster than planned.
Last week, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved the bill proposed by MK Avi Dichter (Likud) and the Knesset voted for it in a preliminary reading. At that point, the bill was supposed to be put on hold for 60 days, while the government came up with its own version to merge with Dichter’s.
However, in Sunday’s meeting of coalition party leaders, Netanyahu called to accelerate the process and waive the waiting period.
The prime minister said the Jewish nation-state bill will continue on the private legislation path, so that it can be passed into law faster, without the government bill.
Last week, Netanyahu threw strong support behind the bill, calling for “all Zionist parties” to support it.
The legislation states that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish People and includes details like the national anthem, the flag, and that Jerusalem is the capital. It also includes a controversial article stating that Hebrew is “the state’s language” and Arabic has a special status.
Netanyahu responded to critics of the bill who said it gives primacy to Jewish citizens, saying at two separate occasions that “there is no contradiction at all between this bill and equal rights for all citizens of Israel.”
On Wednesday, Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh came out against the bill, saying that “no apartheid law, racist and ultra-nationalist as it can be, will erase the fact that two nations live here.
“This extreme-right-wing government is trying to light a fire of nationalist hatred here, but I still believe that there is a majority here that wants to live in peace, equality and democracy, and that majority must get up now to fight determinedly against this dangerous government,” Odeh added.
There are loyal minorities and disloyal minorities. I have no problem with loyal Druze, Aramaens, or Vietnamese, yes Vietnamese, Israel rescued boat people on the high seas – where over a milion died — and gave them a home. Bravo. And I have no problem with Zoabi’s philo -semitic, pro-Israel cousin. Brava. Bravissima.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2016/11/25/arab-israeli-cousin-of-anti-zionist-knesset-member-declares-allegiance-to-jewish-state-at-western-wall/&ved=0ahUKEwi3_bbj4IbVAhVCgj4KHeVqCEMQFggdMAA&usg=AFQjCNG36lT9L2Y-_I7u_8naeDrINGXqUw
@ adamdalgliesh:
I wrote: “Also, dissidents were suppressed during and right after the American Revolution…”
Also look at
“The Federalist Papers : No. 9
The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection
For the Independent Journal.
HAMILTON”
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed09.asp
@ Sebastien Zorn: Good point, Sebastian. America has never let “democracy” stand in the way of national security and the economic self-interest of powerful “lobbies.”
You left out the American Revolution, when pro-British “Tories” were imprisoned without trial and forcibly driven out of the country their property confiscated, looted and burned,
The British philosopher John Locke, who is the intellectual father of democracy, and whose writings deeply influenced the Founding Fathers, wrote that those who are at war with a state should have no civil rights in it whatsoever–they could even be executed, exiled or enslaved. And he said that anyone whose “fixed and settled design” was to overthrow the state was an enemy subject to these penalties, even if they had not (yet) perpetrated any violent acts against. It is true that “democracy is not a suicide pact.”
Lincoln also placed states with copperhead majorities like Ohio and Indiana under martial law.
The radical Left was suppressed in the 1880s, 1920s, and 1970s.
The anti-war Left was suppressed in the 1840s (Mexican war.)
Also, dissidents were suppressed during and right after the American Revolution. Presidents Adams and Jefferson suppressed dissenting minorities. Rebellions by minorities were put down by force throughout our history.
What are you talking about? Democracy. Not for enemies.
The Confederacy, the Mormons, the Indians. The Indians didn’t get the vote until 1924.
Unless, like MIchelle Obama, you only believe we became a democratic country when her husband became President and only until Trump took office. Ha Ha. Selective notions of democracy.
Under News/Defense Security
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Section.aspx/25/1
for example:
Terrorists take advantage of Israel’s postal system
Israeli security services discover that terrorists are using the Israel Postal Service to obtain advanced weapons.
Contact Editor Ben Ariel, 12/07/17
MainAll NewsDefense/SecurityThe tough questions of the girl burnt in terror attack
The tough questions of the girl burnt in terror attack
Terror victim Ayala Shapira presses Defense Minister ahead of ‘Qalqiliya Plan’ meeting. ‘Why can we only build when someone is hurt?’
Contact Editor Eliran Aharon, 12/07/17 22:38
‘The expansion of Qalqiliya is a reward for terrorism’
Education Minister says plan to double size of Arab city rewards terrorism because it is a spawning ground for terrorists.
Uzi Baruch, Yesterday, 5:58 PM
Government fortifies Gaza-area schools against Hamas missiles
Israel’s government fortifies dozens of schools and preschools against Hamas rockets.
Kobi Finkler, Yesterday, 12:21 PM
2 terrorists killed, 2 wounded after shooting, bomb attack
IDF special force comes under attack in PA city of Jenin. Soldiers return fire, kill two terrorists, wound two.
David Rosenberg, Yesterday, 8:34 AM
Terror attack in Gush Etzion
Ramming attack, attempted stabbing reported near Tekoa in eastern Gush Etzion area south of Jerusalem. Terrorist eliminated.
Eliran Aharon, Monday, 8:01 PM
Hamas prepares for ‘liberation of Palestine’
Senior Gaza Hamas figure: ‘We will turn Gaza into starting point for Haifa, Jaffa, Safed’s liberation; Abbas has given up.’
Mordechai Sones, Sunday, 10:09 AM
Report: Palestinian Arab behind cyberattack on Israeli hospitals
IT security company traces source of cyberattack to Dubai site and linked to user who claims to be Palestinian Arab.
Gary Willig, Thursday, 5:28 PM
IDF getting ready to destroy house of Damascus Gate terrorist
Forces last night made preparations for demolition of house of one of the terrorists in attack during which Hadas Malka murdered.
Uzi Baruch, Thursday, 8:06 AM
Firebomb thrown into Rachel’s Tomb facility
No casualties or damage reported.
Mordechai Sones, 7/3/2017, 6:12 PM
Protecting Judea, Samaria residents against firebombs and rocks
Residents of Judea and Samaria get permission to rock-proof leased cars, not just cars they purchased.
Hezki Baruch, 7/3/2017, 1:48 PM
2009 murder of policemen in Jordan Valley solved
Indictment filed against Samaria Arab for murder of two policemen near Jordan Valley community in 2009.
Uzi Baruch, 7/2/2017, 11:48 AM
Security forces nab 2 female senior terrorists
IDF and Shin Bet forces arrest two female senior terrorists associated with PFLP, in addition to 9 other terrorists in Judea and Samaria.
Kobi Finkler, 7/2/2017, 8:02 AM
I just stopped arbitrarily, It goes on and on. These are war conditions, Lincoln suspended Habeus Corpus under war conditions.
Wilson put German-Americans in camps, FDR put Japanese Americans in Camps. Eisenhower Communists.
The Arabs are a fifth column who belong in camps and then later to be expelled.
Nothing undemocratic about it.
Needless to say, Islam is barely tolerated if they keep it out of sight,. They don’t have terrorism. Go to http://www.israelnationalnews.com and look under news briefs, defense/security and scroll down. There are terrorist attempts and attacks in Israel every single day. By Muslims. Against Jews. and the occasional Christian.
In the words of Kahane: “They Must Go.”
Constitutional monarchy. So is the UK. and Sweden. and Japan. Denmark. There are many kinds and variations of democracy. In S. Korea and Japan, minorities are expected to conform and assimilate and they don’t allow much immigration.
Mahayana Buddhism has the equivalent of a non-creator God and Saints. And in Bhutan, only Hinduism (which has lots of Gods with Brahma on top) and Buddhism have official status though 0.2 percentage of the population is Muslim. They do not permit immigration. You can only visit for 2 weeks. If they give permission. It is a constitutional democracy with a two party system.
In officially Buddhist Burma, Muslims are persecuted — out of understandable fear, considering what Muslims have wrought on Buddhist countries. Afghanistan was Buddhist.
@ andreabergesen:
a) There is dogma among Atheists, even non-Communists. even agnostics have a dogma, they say god is un-knowable.
b) Buddhism is not atheistic, it is non-theistic and it has dogma.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/
c) Even the 15th amendment doesn’t say anything about limiting the rights of majorities. It just says:
“The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen’s “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”.
Which is already in Israel’s Constitution and nobody is proposing to change. Modern Israel has never had slavery.
The bill of rights enumerates the rights the Government may not take away from individuals.
Nowhere does it talk about minorities having the rights to limit the rights of majorities.
The Constitution deals with governmental structure, institutional checks and balances, and the rights of individuals.
If you feel otherwise, feel free to provide examples. Don’t expect others to do your homework.
Muslim immigrant “Minorities” in the countries Edgar G. named are tearing those countries to pieces. If you still don’t understand that, where have you been?
andreabergesen Said:
““A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — ‘Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.’ — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”
? Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
“Don’t call us, we’ll call you. Thank you. Next, please.”
Argument Clinic – Monty Python’s The Flying Circus
https://youtu.be/kQFKtI6gn9Y
Edgar G. Said:
When you feel ready to string together letters that comprise a coherent meaning, give me a call.
Sebastien Zorn Said:
Thanks for showing your political colors. The same colors that eventually made the Holocaust a reality.
Sebastien Zorn Said:
You are right, so, I’ll change my statement to “There is no wore racist than a racist Jew”. People exposed to racism should have learned, and they should have learned how far racism can go, as we saw in Germany during the Holocaust and in the Arab world today.
As they say, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. The legislation here is the first step, and it is abhorrent that it happens in a state where people exposed to the horrors of the thousand miles.
Sebastien Zorn Said:
When mixing religion and politics, the greatest danger is from dogmatic thought systems. Systems where there is an absolute truth. The reason is that dogma, being it religious (such as in Islam and Christianity in particular) or political (as in socialism) can be used to form totalitarian regimes that oppress the population. It can also be used as a pretext for aggression etc.
Where there is no dogma, such as among atheists and (mostly) Buddhists, there is no possible motivation for aggression at all. Now, you will hear some ignorant (mostly American) religious nuts go on about the lack of morality in an atheist society and how that spurred the Soviet aggression both internally and externally, but this is just ignorance. In the Soviet Union and China, religious dogma was replaced among the leadership with political dogma.
In short, the philosophical question “I don’t know, what do you think” is hard to use to justify atrocities, but the “my God is better than your God you apostate” is easily, and frequently used. Pure Buddhism is also atheistic at its core, so it’s hard to use Buddhism as a motivator for aggression. Since Tibetan Buddhism is theistic, that is a slight (but not very) deviation from this.
@ Sebastien Zorn:
>> the only place the Constitution limits majority rule is in Presidential
>> elections through the Electoral College
Words matter, and the meaning of letters strung after one another changes the meaning of the totality of the letters. I specifically said (about rights) “as it does on the LIMITS of the majority”. So, your comment is nonsensical. The US Constitution limits the rights of the majority at every turn and bend of normal life. It limits the majority’s right to oppress the minority everywhere. In fact, the US Constitution SEVERELY limits the rights of the majority.
I ignored the rest as incoherent ramblings.
@ Sebastien Zorn:
My personal favorite:
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
Abolish the Merit system!
Fire millions of government bureaucrats (swarms of officers).
@ Bear Klein
You wrote, Israel needs a constitution carefully drafted.
Constitutional government always sucks.
@ Ted Belman:
Yes and no, depending on the context. On the one hand, anyone can convert and Judaism is only matrilineal. On the other hand, within Judaism, communities are encouraged to remain distinct and follow the customs of their ancestors, traditionally.
That’s why it’s Kosher for Mizrahic and Sephardic Jews to eat legumes on Pesach but not Ashkenazic, though Conservative Judaism just voted to permit that as well as to give membership to unconverted gentile spouses. But even among acknowledged racial groups there is lots of intermarriage.
There are recent communities, like the African-American Jewish community that converted in the 19th century and Ethiopian Jews who, despite their foundation myth are considered to have converted in the 16th century and hence had to formally convert.
If most of us were not a race, we wouldn’t have genetic predisposition to certain diseases or a resistance to alcoholism — very few Jewish alcoholics, I myself have always had to force it down, still do, no matter how much I’ve tried to get used to it. Impossibly bitter and anything more than a mild buzz is painful not pleasurable.
“Ashkenazi Jews descend from 350 people, study finds‘Bottleneck’ dates back 600 to 800 years, genome analysis shows; researcher says among population ‘everyone is a 30th cousin’BY ANDREW TOBIN September 10, 2014, 6:54 pm Updated: September 10, 2014, 11:13 pm”
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ashkenazi-jews-descend-from-350-people-study-finds/
“Ashkenazi Jews Descend From 350 People, Scientists Say
Geneticists have found serial bottlenecks in European Jews’ history and postulate that today’s community is just 600 to 800 years old.”
Ruth Schuster Sep 10, 2014 2:01 AM
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/science/.premium-1.614893
”
SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 12:33 PM 2
All Ashkenazi Jews Descend From 350 People, Study Shows
avatar by JNS.org”
https://www.algemeiner.com/2014/09/11/all-ashkenazi-jews-descend-from-350-people-study-shows/
“STUDY SAYS ALL ASHKENAZI JEWS ARE 30TH COUSINS
Researchers identify 350-person founding population of Ashkenazi Jewry
By Stephanie Butnick
September 10, 2014 • 5:40 PM”
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/184252/study-says-all-ashkenazi-jews-are-30th-cousins
“oday’s Ashkenazi Jews descend from 350 people, study finds
Thu, 11 Sep 2014”
http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/today-s-ashkenazi-jews-descend-from-350-people-study-finds
“Jewish Heritage Written in DNA
Fully sequenced genomes of more than 100 Ashkenazi people clarify the group’s history and provide a reference for researchers and physicians trying to pinpoint disease-associated genes.
By Kate Yandell | September 9, 2014”
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/40956/title/Jewish-Heritage-Written-in-DNA/
Lots more. Just google: ashkenazic jews descended from 350 people
It’s not controversial.
Moreover, all Jewish communities of any longevity are related and trace back to Eretz Israel, which once encompassed all or most of the Levant.
“…Ashkenazi Jews are known to have origins in the Levant, which Israel is smack dab in the middle of. But exactly who “European” Ashkenazi Jews are has long been debated. An analysis of the gene database shows that the original Ashkenazi Jews were about half European and half Middle Eastern. They lived in the medieval era, about 600 to 800 years ago, according to the analysis – and numbered just 350 or so people.
“Our analysis shows that Ashkenazi Jewish medieval founders were ethnically admixed, with origins in Europe and in the Middle East, roughly in equal parts,” said Shai Carmi, a post-doctoral scientist who works with Pe’er and conducted the analysis. “[The] data are more comprehensive than what was previously available, and we believe the data settle the dispute regarding European and Middle Eastern ancestry in Ashkenazi Jews.”
The analysis also suggested that today’s Europeans are descended primarily from migrants from the Middle East after the last ice age, about 20,000 years ago, not from the first humans to arrive to the continent about 40,000 years ago. The researchers are now looking into where the Middle Eastern and European Jews first met and who their closest descendants are today.
Because the Ashkenazi community started out so small, and remained genetically isolated, it developed a higher load of disease-causing mutations. Even today, Ashkenazi Jews are known to be at higher risk for many diseases, including breast and ovarian cancer and Tay-Sach’s disease. But many potentially disease-causing Ashkenazi mutations remain unknown.”
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ashkenazi-jews-descend-from-350-people-study-finds/
Nothing inherently wrong with accepting we are a race. We are discriminated against for being a distinct race or for not being one. Those who wish to hate will find their reasons. We can’t get protection on campuses for the latter reason.
“Only the unloved hate, the unloved and the unnatural.” – Charlie Chaplin, “The Great Dictator” (1940).
The panel will have 16 members drawn from ..
Government of the social’zts, by the lawyers, for the special interests.
The provisions of this Basic Law or any other legislation will be interpreted in light of what is provided in this section.
Legalistic language, no matter how clearly it is spelled out (and this clause is pretty fuzzy), is always GREAT news for lawyers.
@ Edgar G.:
I forgot that you can send your yearly contribution of $25 to Israel, instead to the Salvation Army…full of reformed alcoholics (I’ve met many) and worse, who would pray for you. They do good work you might appreciate more than you do Israel.
@ andreabergesen:
Hrre’s an instant example of a country “Handcuffed\’ by democracy….Germany. you could add Italy, and several others, like France, Belgium, Holland, but NOT POland…
You sound not too sready on your feet, easily overbalanced, and very quick to brush off any lingering support ofr Israel that might be clinging to you. Sound like a typical American “Jew” …Liberal, Democratic, Humanistic, Open Road choice, pro “toilet equality” BDS-er, or inclining that way, married a shiksa, bringing up your kids to chose as they wish, And after all that,,then you might consider being Jewish….away down the list.,
@ adamdalgliesh:
What they are debating on passing is another Basic Law.
one version would give Arabic .. speakers .. the right to language access to the state’s services.
Institutionalized Big Government.
Once the Goverment has been reduced by 95%, the crooked politicians can hold a big debate over which language the Israeli Government should choose, exclusively, for conducting its official, bureaucratic business: Hebrew or Arabic.
The reality is that the “Supremes,” who are nearly all fanatical leftists and Arabists, will probably veto the law as contrary to Israel’s “basic laws,” which it regards as the equivalent of a constitution, and which they interpret to suit their political bias, not the law, to which they are fundamentally indifferent. And if they do uphold it, they will definitely rule that Israel’s “democratic” character is more important than than its “Jewish” character, which disapprove of. And by “democratic,” they mean the rule of judges, prosectors, other government lawyers, the police, and self-appointed bureaucratic committees–which are Israel’s present de facto government. The courts and their supporters in the media, such as the present editors of the Jerusalem Post and of course Haaretz, openly reject the idea that rule by the people is “democracy.” George Orwell was absolutely correct, as Sebastien has pointed out, when he wrote that modern political discourse has completely corrupted and subverted the original meaning of words, in order to deceive and confuse people. And there is no country in the world where this is more true than it is in Israel.
Permitting sedtion by an internal fifth column is not democracy and prior to Vietnam we never did it. The toleration of Zoabi is criminal.
http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/MKs-blame-Zoabi-for-terrorist-attack-that-killed-13-year-old-girl-459151
and hypocritical
The basic Law bans anti-Zionists from the Knesset but it has only been enforced against authentic Zionists like Kahane.
Personally, if I had to choose, I’d choose a Jewish state and throw democracy out the window, but it isn’t necessary to choose. I’d rather throw you out the window.
Good bye and Good Riddance.
@ andreabergesen:
“andreabergesen Said:
So, in the science-fiction-time event that we ever acted like Nazis, we would be worse?
This is racism.
This is also Holocaust denial. The Nazis were not the first to discriminate against Jews and discrimination is not what made them a unique synonym for evil. Neither was their racism. Racism against Jews was the norm. Here too.
It was systematic extermination of the Jewish people as a race, using modern industrial methods, in the course of world conquest. That’s what the Muslims, particularly Iran are attempting. After collaborating with the Nazis at the time. They are the Nazis.
Czechoslavakia, Russia, Poland expelled all ethnic Germans in 1945, and the world applauded. Were they Nazis?
Exactly what have you done for us, concretely, that we should see you as anything but a wolf in sheep’s clothing from start to finish? And in what country?
ISRAELI DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
(Proposed law is trying to implement the below for the most part in conjunction with the other basic laws)
The land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and national identity was formed. Here they achieved independence and created a culture of national and universal significance. Here they wrote and gave the Bible to the world.
Exiled from Palestine, the Jewish people remained faithful to it in all the countries of their dispersion, never ceasing to pray and hope for their return and the restoration of their national freedom.
Impelled by this historic association, Jews strove throughout the centuries to go back to the land of their fathers and regain their statehood. In recent decades they returned in masses. They reclaimed the wilderness, revived their language, built cities and villages and established a vigorous and
ever-growing community with its own economic and cultural life. They sought peace yet were ever prepared to defend themselves. They brought the blessing of progress to all inhabitants of the country.
In the year 1897 the First Zionist Congress, inspired by Theodor Herzl’s vision of the Jewish State, proclaimed the right of the Jewish people to national revival in their own country.
This right was acknowledged by the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917, and re-affirmed by the Mandate of the League of Nations, which gave explicit international recognition to the historic connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and their right to reconstitute their National Home.
The Nazi Holocaust, which engulfed millions of Jews in Europe, proved anew the urgency of the re-establishment of the Jewish state, which would solve the problem of Jewish homelessness by opening the gates to all Jews and lifting the Jewish people to equality in in the family of nations.
The survivors of the European catastrophe, as well as Jews from other lands, proclaiming their right to a life of dignity, freedom and labor, and undeterred by hazards, hardships and obstacles, have tried unceasingly to enter Palestine.
In the Second World War the Jewish people in Palestine made a full contribution in the struggle of the freedom-loving nations against the Nazi evil. The sacrifices of their soldiers and the efforts of their workers gained them title to rank with the peoples who founded the United Nations.
On November 29, 1947, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a Resolution for the establishment of an independent Jewish State in Palestine, and called upon the inhabitants of the country to take such steps as may be necessary on their part to put the plan into effect.
This recognition by the United Nations of the right of the Jewish people to establish their independent State may not be revoked. It is, moreover, the self-evident right of the Jewish people to be a nation, as all other nations, in its own sovereign State.
ACCORDINGLY, WE, the members of the National Council, representing the Jewish people in Palestine and the Zionist movement of the world, met together in solemn assembly today, the day of the termination of the British mandate for Palestine, by virtue of the natural and historic right of the Jewish
and of the Resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations,
HEREBY PROCLAIM the establishment of the Jewish State in Palestine, to be called ISRAEL.
WE HEREBY DECLARE that as from the termination of the Mandate at midnight, this night of the 14th and 15th May, 1948, and until the setting up of the duly elected bodies of the State in accordance with a Constitution, to be drawn up by a Constituent Assembly not later than the first day of
October, 1948, the present National Council shall act as the provisional administration, shall constitute the Provisional Government of the State of Israel.
THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open to the immigration of Jews from all countries of their dispersion; will promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; will be based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace taught by the Hebrew Prophets; will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed or sex; will guarantee
full freedom of conscience, worship, education and culture; will safeguard the sanctity and inviolability of the shrines and Holy Places of all religions; and will dedicate itself to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be ready to cooperate with the organs and representatives of the United Nations in the implementation of the Resolution of the Assembly of November 29, 1947, and will take steps to bring about the Economic Union over the whole of Palestine.
We appeal to the United Nations to assist the Jewish people in the building of its State and to admit Israel into the family of nations.
In the midst of wanton aggression, we yet call upon the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to
return to the ways of peace and play their part in the development of the State, with full and equal citizenship and due representation in its bodies and institutions – provisional or permanent.
We offer peace and unity to all the neighboring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all.
Our call goes out the the Jewish people all over the world to rally to our side in the task of immigration and development and to stand by us in the great struggle for the fulfillment of the dream of generations – the redemption of Israel.
With trust in Almighty God, we set our hand to this Declaration, at this Session of the Provisional State Council, in the city of Tel Aviv, on this Sabbath eve, the fifth of Iyar, 5708, the fourteenth day of May, 1948.
andreabergesen Said:
Got any problems with Bhutan?
“The independence of Bhutan has endured for centuries, and the territory was never colonized in its history. Situated on the ancient Silk Road between Tibet, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, the Bhutanese state developed a distinct national identity based on Buddhism….In 2008, it transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy and held the first election to the National Assembly of Bhutan, that has a two party system characterizing Bhutanese democracy…
The King of Bhutan is known as the “Dragon King”. Bhutan is also notable for pioneering the concept of gross national happiness. The country’s landscape ranges from lush subtropical plains in the south to the sub-alpine Himalayan mountains in the north, where there are peaks in excess of 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). The highest mountain in Bhutan is the Gangkhar Puensum, which is also a strong candidate for the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. There is also diverse wildlife in Bhutan.
In South Asia, Bhutan ranks first in economic freedom, ease of doing business, and peace; second in per capita income; and is the least corrupt country as of 2016…”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutan
@ Bear Klein:
That too.
@ andreabergesen:
Can you name another country that you would withdraw support from? I mean, don’t you see how racist that is? Israel is the only country on the face of the earth, that large sections of humanity are calling to abolish, which means another Shoah, another 6 million dead Jews. The Muslims call for it daily. If you could even consider that, I don’t even know what you mean by friendship, especially since you just acknowledged that we Jews are a race, fair weather friend.
Judaism is made up of three central elements which are:
1. the people (Am Yisrael, Jewish People);
2.Torah ( belief in one G-D) and;
3.the Land of Israel (Zion, Israel).
Just like the Japanese, Koreans, Icelanders and many others that have a country that is the home of its people the Jewish people have a country Israel which is home to any Jew wishing to live there.
Israel has in its basic laws individual human rights for any person living in Israel including its non Jewish citizens, as a democracy but only confers nationhood rights on the Jewish people (for example the “Right of Return”).
The proposed legislation is dealing with defining this. Everyone may not like that nationhood rights are defined for the Jewish people. The Arabs in the Knesset (many who want the destruction of Israel) do not like this. Apparently neither does Andreabergesen.
@ andreabergesen:
The Declaration was never ratified into law and the only place the Constitution limits majority rule is in Presidential elections through the Electoral College.”
Besides, nobody ever quotes the Declaration in full — like the bible — too embarassing.
Among the grievances against the King:
“…He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:..”
[Like the Paris Accords?]
…He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us,
[Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street?]
and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
[Palestinian Arabs, Muslim immigration?]
…In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. ..
[http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-28/you-tricked-me-trump-reportedly-rages-palestines-abbas-lying-him]
…For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
[Paris Accords, NAFTA, UN, NATO, SEATO
And the literal definition of democracy is majority (demos) rule (ocracy) period. In Athens, Rome, most democracies in history, Slaves, foreigners, women, minorities, did not have the vote or equal representation.
Just googled it:
de·moc·ra·cy
d??mäkr?s?/Submit
noun
a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
“capitalism and democracy are ascendant in the third world”
synonyms: representative government, elective government; More
a state governed by a democracy.
plural noun: democracies
“a multiparty democracy”
control of an organization or group by the majority of its members.
“the intended extension of industrial democracy”
Or Eligible members of the state, got it?
Trump called everyone in the west to preserve their culture. That’s what this bill aims to do.
@ andreabergesen:
Hope you have good luck finding another country to be obsessed with, to prop up and keep from collapsing to the ground with your mental “support.”
“The mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
But, thanks for threatening us, just the same. NIce to be kept on our toes. Or is it knees?
@ andreabergesen:
Sorry to see you go. Have a nice life.
@ Ted Belman:
>> Judaism is not a race, it is a religion
Yes, you are to a degree right, but not entirely. If Judaism was entirely a religion then there would be no secular Jews, and the reality is that there are secular Jews. What is Judaism then? A culture? Sure, not a race as such, a significant portion of the population that defines it self as Jewish are not even Semites, or just partly Semitic, but I digress.
I agree, using the word “race” to describe Jews is wrong, but I don’t have any good alternatives. I am open to suggestions. Perhaps I need a definition of what is a “Jew”. It certainly can’t be defined by religion. Einstein was Jewish, but he didn’t believe in a God in the way Judaism defines a God. If you don’t believe in God you are not a follower of Judaism (or any other religion) but that doesn’t mean you’re not Jewish, does it?
>> Democracy used to mean majority rules
The first (modern) democratic nation in modern times was the US. To me, the ideal democratic ideas were written in the period around 1776, even though they were never actually implemented entirely in the US. The declaration of Independence and the US Constitution is the foundation of this democratic nation, and it doesn’t put anywhere near as much emphasis on the rights of the majority as it does on the LIMITS of the majority.
A democracy is not defined by what the majority is allowed to do, it’s defined by what the majority is NOT allowed to do.
@ Bear Klein:
>> So if I understand what you wrote you are opposed to a Jewish
>> democratic State
I am not quite clear on why you read that into my comment. I am not. I am a strong supporter of an Israeli Democracy (note the omission of the word Jewish, it’s intentional). I always have been. It is currently the only functioning democracy in the Middle East, and one of the best and most functional democracies in the world. Far surpassing for example most European countries. To illustrate, I am of the opinion that every conflict Israel has been in has been justified, and that a significant portion of the European legislature, particularly in France, is highly anti-Jewish (the concept of anti-Semitic loses its meaning in this conflict, since most Arabs are genetically Semites). I believe Israel has the absolute right to defend their borders aggressively, and that the idea of “you kill one of us, we’ll kill umpteen of you” is an appropriate deterrence policy when a country has been under constant attack for more than 70 years.
I have no problem with a state defining its identity based on the origin of its founders or the genetic makeup of the majority population.
BUT: I am also of the opinion that the Abrahamic religions in particular (but also most other dogmatic belief systems, religious or political) are based on silly superstition, and that attempting to put religious superstition into secular law (which you see so many attempts of in the US at the moment) is dangerous in the extreme. When you mix religion with government what you get is Iran, Turkey under Erdogan etc. Nasty stuff irrespective of religion, but currently most prominently a problem in the Arab world.
What do I cherish? The US Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. These are two of the most inspirational pieces of writing by politicians in the history of mankind. I cherish the liberty of the individual. I feel disgusted by people who define themselves more according to a perceived membership in some sort of clique based on arbitrary aspects of their body or their belief system. Nationalism to me is disgusting, patriotism is, as he said, the last refuge of the scoundrel. I respect someone for what they do, not who they are.
I have never expressed support for the Arab states at all, but my support of Israel is contingent upon the behavior of Israel as a nation. I don’t support the Arab nations because they are generally nasty shit-holes that destroy the people living there and the neighboring countries. Moving Israel a single inch in their direction, would disgust me in the extreme. You don’t fight your enemies by emulating what makes them your enemy.
@ andreabergesen:
andreabergesen Said:
Judaism is not a race, it is a religion. But Jews are deeply divided on the issue of how much power the orthodox should have. This legislation doesn’t reflect that fight.
All people in Israel are equal before the law and descrimination is outlawed.
What this bill is attempting to do is maintain the Israel as the nation state of the Jews. There are many countries that include Christianity or Islam as part of the states identity. I don’t see that as anti democratic even though not everyone shares that religion. Jews in Israel value their culture and their identity and they want to safeguard Israel as a Jewish state with a right of return.
I fail to see what is undemocratic about that.Democracy used to mean majority rules. Then their was a a movement to preserve minority rights. But such minorities should never be allowed to dictate to the majority. The majority has the right to define their identity even if the minority are therefore excluded, The minority can either accept that they live in a Jewish state or then can move.
What’s undemocratic about that?
@ Bear Klein:
>> Jews would be Nazis because Israel would express that is a Jewish State?
No, Jews become Nazi when adopting legislation that discriminates based on race. Nazi ideology isn’t limited to discrimination of Jews, it’s the idea that one race, whatever that is, is deserving of preferential (or negative) treatment based on nothing else than the accident of genetic makeup.
>> However, the hysterical offensive language of calling Jews Nazis
>> who want their symbols and Jewish Heritage officially included in
>> its Basic Laws is rejected as wrong and offensive
So, then my question to you is as follows, at what point can one consider the line to be crossed? What differentiation based on race or other arbitrary concepts are acceptable before it becomes intolerable. This legislation forces the Supreme Court to give preferential treatment to race over democracy where the two are in conflict, isn’t that *per definition* separating a people into the privileged and the non-privileged based entirely on genetics? Remember, that is the base of Nazism. Not the horrible treatment of Jews in a particularly bad part of European history. Not the Holocaust. The base idea that one race should be given preferred treatment over an(y) other.
@ Ted Belman:
The most democratic nation I know is Israel at this point in time. Examples of how it works is, for example, the very unpleasant, but democratically tolerable Haneen Zoabi (free speech). The EU is certainly not a democratic institution, but many countries within the EU does, to a greater or lesser degree, try to remain democratic.
A country that puts race over democracy is run by the same ideology that was the foundation of the German ruling party in the late 1930s and 1940s though, and is therefore not in any possible manner democratic. Remember, the Holocaust was the RESULT of a political ideology, not the ideology it self. The ideology was that one race should receive preferential treatment over others. Adopting even smaller parts of this ideology should make any Jew sick to his stomach. Hitler isn’t a good role model for Israeli politicians, and he certainly should not be for anyone, whatever race.
The sad part of this attempted legislation is that it moves Israel away from democracy in the direction of German (and quite frankly, European) ideology from the 1930s (and sadly also later). It doesn’t get there by any means, but the direction of the move is not only bad, it’s tragic considering where it happens.
@ andreabergesen:
@ andreabergesen:
So if I understand what you wrote you are opposed to a Jewish democratic State and are taking the side of the Arabs who want to get destroy or reject a Jewish State? This would be a Nazi State according to you? Yet you say you supported Israel?
@ Bear Klein: Link to Israel’s Basic Laws https://www.knesset.gov.il/description/eng/eng_mimshal_yesod1.htm
@ Bear Klein: Link to Israel’s Basic Laws https://www.knesset.gov.il/description/eng/eng_mimshal_yesod1.htm
Israel tried to pass a full constitution in 1950 but it failed. It has then evolved to passing the constitution piece meal in the Basic Laws. So without looking at all the Basic Laws and how they relate to each other one can not properly evaluate when a new Basic Law is proposed.
When one comments on a new law without taking into context the existing Basic Laws it is an erroneous exercise that is flawed.
The trouble with Israel Law and legal system is that Israel needs a constitution carefully drafted. The using of the Basic Laws by the Supreme as a De-facto constitution has many drawbacks and is far less than ideal.
The drafting and agreeing to a constitution has proven elusive with various segments of the population and the politicians having diametrically opposing views on basic elements of what it should look like and who would lose power. The Haredi worry that they would lose their power over religion if a constitution were to be drafted. The Supreme Court could lose power to the Knesset if a clearer delineation of separation of powers were to be included.
I always can tell when people have a problem expressing themselves and communicating they start by using the word Nazi in conjunction with Jews and or Israel. Jews would be Nazis because Israel would express that is a Jewish State?
Israel in its basics laws has a law for Human Liberty and Dignity. Also among it Basic Laws is a complete description of how its democratic government will be elected and function.
Israel who only in its Declaration of Independence declares it is a Jewish and democratic State but this does not have the force of law except by reference in one of its Basic Laws.
So many Israelis believe that the Jewish character and the countries symbols need to be incorporated into its Basic Laws.
When can argue about the language and what is needed or not needed certainly. However, the hysterical offensive language of calling Jews Nazis who want their symbols and Jewish Heritage officially included in its Basic Laws is rejected as wrong and offensive.
@ andreabergesen:
Do you mind defining democracy. Is the EU or anyone a democracy by your standards?
As a many-year supporter of Israel in my country, and at times successful, this law would instantly end all my support for Israel as a nation state. There is no such thing as a country hand-cuffed by democracy, there is only hand-cuffed democracy. As the second article points out, but is unwilling to put the correct words to, this is some nasty right-wing stuff. I am going to come out and say it directly:
There is no worse Nazi than a Jewish Nazi. Israel is not in any way helped by emulating Nazi Germany in any way.