Israel passed the nationality bill into law on Thursday to declare that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country, something which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed as the realization of Zionism's vision but which has stoked anger among critics who argue it is racist.
"One-hundred-and-twenty-two years after Herzl published his vision, we've enshrined into the law the basic principle of our existence," Netanyahu said. about the law, which was backed by the right-wing government in a stormy Knesset debate by a vote of 62-55.
Knesset members Benny Begin (Likud) and Orly Levy-Abekasis abstained in the 120-member Knesset after months of political argument, while Arab lawmakers, who say the law is racist and verges on a codification of apratheid, shouted and ripped up papers after the vote, prompting Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein to remove the Arab MKs from the plenum.
"This is a defining moment in the annals of Zionism and the history of the state of Israel," Netanyahu told the Knesset after the vote.
Israel, Netanyahu said during the pandemonium that erupted in the Knesset Plenum, is the only country in the Middle East that honors equal rights.
"Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people that honors the rights of all its citizens ... When I make speeches around the world, I reiterate this is our country, the country of the Jewish nation," he stated, explaining the reasons for the law.
"Over the past few years some attempt to question that and by doing so they question the foundations of our existence. This is the reason why we enshrined into a law this is our anthem, our language and our flag. Long live the State of Israel," he declared from the podium.
Largely symbolic, the law was enacted just after the 70th anniversary of the birth of the state of Israel. It stipulates that "Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it".
The bill also strips Arabic of its designation as an official language alongside Hebrew, downgrading it to a "special status" that enables its continued use within Israeli institutions.
Israel's Arabs number some 1.8 million, about 20 percent of the 9 million population.
Early drafts of the legislation went further in what critics at home and abroad saw as discrimination towards Israel's Arabs.
Clauses that were dropped in last-minute political wranglingand after objections by Israel's president and attorney generalwould have enshrined in law the establishment of Jewish-only communities, and instructed courts to rule according to Jewish ritual law when there were no relevant legal precedents.
Instead, a more vaguely-worded version was approved, which says: "The state views the development of Jewish settlement as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment." ... MK Avi Dichter (Likud), who also sponsored the bill, explained his reasons passing the law. We are enshrining this important bill into a law today to prevent even the slightest thought, let alone attempt, to transform Israel to a country of all its citizen," he said.
"When I listened attentively to the Joint List MKs, it was impossible to miss their clear words: 'We, the Arabs will win, we are in our homeland, we were here before you and we'll be here after you.' This Basic Law is the clear-cut answer to those who think that and it is clear: You were not here before us and you will not be here after us, he responded.
"The most you can do is to live among us as a national minority that enjoys equal individual rights, but not equality as a national minority, Dichter added.