The Israeli government passed the so called “Jewish-state bill” that defines Israel as a “Jewish state with a democratic regime” rather than a “Jewish and democratic state” Israel Hayom newspaper reported on Friday. The change was made following pressure by Haredi extremist parties.
Under the new provisions “The Jewish state would be required to preserve the Jewish character of the state and protect sacred Jewish sties according to Jewish tradition”
The new draft of the controversial bill was approved by a special ministerial committee headed by Tourism Minister Yariv Levin and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. Levin and Shaked agreed that “The Knesset would also advance legislation that would grant the Druze community special recognition due to its immense contribution to the state through military service” the newspaper stated.
The bill stipulates that “The State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people where it has realized its desire for self-determination according to its cultural and historical heritage. The right for national self-determination in the State of Israel is reserved for the Jewish people.”
The bill also states that “The land of Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people.” A provision stipulating the land of Israel is “where the State of Israel was established” was taken out as a result of pressure by the ultra-Orthodox.
The bill states that “Hebrew is the language of the state” but the ministers agreed that a clarifying clause would be inserted before the bill is finalized to ensure that it did not change the status of Arabic.
