Israel’s right-wing government has piloted a “Nation State” law.
The law is perceived as a clear attempt to legitimise the prevalent apartheid against Arabs and also undermine any peace process with Palestine.
What is the law about?
The law lays down that “Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it”.
While there are 1.8 million Arabs within Israel (20% of the population), the law seeks to strip Arabic off the national language status it currently enjoys.
It has declared Jerusalem, “whole and united” as its capital, which is implicitly antithetic to any rational solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
It also vows to “promote and encourage” the establishment and consolidation of Jewish settlements on occupied Palestine land (in the West Bank).
Further, in what is rather symbolic, this law is set to become one of Israel’s powerful “Basic Laws” that will have constitutional status.
Hence, it can be said that, the law is the realisation of the dream of Israeli far-right groups that strongly vouched for the ethno-religious character of Israel.
What is the political situation within Israel?
The supporters of the Bill say it is aimed to boost Israel’s Jewish identity and will not discriminate against minorities.
But strong protests by Opposition lawmakers and the Arab masses had erupted, while the bill was passed in the parliament.
Arab MPs have called the legislation racist and a form of apartheid aimed at creating two systems within one country.
In reality, within Israel and on the occupied ‘West bank’, the Arab community is already facing severe discrimination in opportunities are rights.
While the current Israeli government’s anti-minority politics is no secret, the law is seen as one that legitimises and institutionalises discrimination.
By providing exclusive right to national self-determination only to the Jewish people and by downgrading Arabic’s status, the law sends a clear message.
Importantly, it seems to want to undo the concept of equality that the independence declaration of Israel promised to all its inhabitants.
What are the implications?
Palestinians sees eastern Jerusalem as the future capital of their nation, but the current law asserts Israeli authority over the whole of Jerusalem.
This assertion and the expansion of Jewish settlements within Palestine’s West Bank are likely to dissuade any form of genuine peace initiative.
Hence, the law further erodes the credibility of Israel’s professed support of an independent Palestinian state and its commitment to the two-nation theory.
Israel has recently passed another law that sought to place limits on Arabs living under its authority to access Israel’s High Court.
Another law bans individual who are seeking “political action against Israeli state or prosecution of Israeli soldiers” abroad from entering school premises.
All these laws together allow the Israeli state to institutionalise discrimination, deepen illegal settlements in Palestinian land and stifle free speech against it.
