Knesset members approved overnight Wednesday-Thursday a controversial and long-debated law that officially defines Israel as the Jewish nation-state, voting the bill through in its second and third plenary readings by 62-55, with two abstentions.

The law for the first time enshrines Israel as “the national home of the Jewish people.” The law becomes one of the so-called Basic Laws, which, like a constitution, guide Israel’s legal system and are usually more difficult to repeal than regular laws.

What follows is a full translation of the final version of the bill approved by the Knesset plenary:

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Basic Law: Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People

1 — Basic principles

A. The land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people, in which the State of Israel was established.

B. The State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people, in which it fulfills its natural, cultural, religious and historical right to self-determination.

C. The right to exercise national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people.

2 — The symbols of the state

A. The name of the state is “Israel.”

B. The state flag is white with two blue stripes near the edges and a blue Star of David in the center.

C. The state emblem is a seven-branched menorah with olive leaves on both sides and the word “Israel” beneath it.

D. The state anthem is “Hatikvah.”

E. Details regarding state symbols will be determined by the law.

3 — The capital of the state

Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel.

4 — Language

A. The state’s language is Hebrew.

B. The Arabic language has a special status in the state; Regulating the use of Arabic in state institutions or by them will be set in law.

C. This clause does not harm the status given to the Arabic language before this law came into effect.

5 — Ingathering of the exiles

The state will be open for Jewish immigration and the ingathering of exiles

6 — Connection to the Jewish people

A. The state will strive to ensure the safety of the members of the Jewish people in trouble or in captivity due to the fact of their Jewishness or their citizenship.

B. The state shall act within the Diaspora to strengthen the affinity between the state and members of the Jewish people.

C. The state shall act to preserve the cultural, historical and religious heritage of the Jewish people among Jews in the Diaspora.

7 — Jewish settlement

A. The state views the development of Jewish settlement as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment and consolidation.

8 — Official calendar

The Hebrew calendar is the official calendar of the state and alongside it the Gregorian calendar will be used as an official calendar. Use of the Hebrew calendar and the Gregorian calendar will be determined by law.

9 — Independence Day and memorial days

A. Independence Day is the official national holiday of the state.

B. Memorial Day for the Fallen in Israel’s Wars and Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day are official memorial days of the State.

10 — Days of rest and sabbath

The Sabbath and the festivals of Israel are the established days of rest in the state; Non-Jews have a right to maintain days of rest on their Sabbaths and festivals; Details of this issue will be determined by law.

11 — Immutability

This Basic Law shall not be amended, unless by another Basic Law passed by a majority of Knesset members.</s>Israel Passes Controversial Law Reserving National Self-Determination For Jews

Enlarge this image toggle caption Ronen Zvulun/AP Ronen Zvulun/AP

Israel's parliament has passed a controversial bill defining the country as the homeland of the Jews — asserting Jerusalem as the capital, Hebrew as the official language and that the right of national self-determination is "unique to the Jewish people."

The government says the bill only enshrines into law what had long been integral to Israel's existing character, but the country's minority Arabs, which make up about 20 percent of the country's 9 million people, see the change as akin to establishing apartheid.

"This is a defining moment in the annals of Zionism and the history of the state of Israel," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, addressing the Knesset after the vote.

The measure passed by 62 to 55, with two lawmakers abstaining, according to Haaretz.

Israel's Arab members of parliament, such as Ahmed Tibi, condemned the bill. Tibi told reporters that its passage represents the "death of democracy" in Israel.

According to the Haaretz, "The [nation-state] law also includes clauses stating that a 'united Jerusalem' is the capital of Israel and that Hebrew is the country's official language. Another says that 'the state sees the development of Jewish settlement as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment and consolidation.'"

The law further rescinds Arabic as an official language, downgrading it to a "special status."

Reuters notes, "Early drafts of the legislation went further in what critics at home and abroad saw as discrimination toward Israel's Arabs, who have long said they are treated as second-class citizens."

The news agency says, "Clauses that were dropped in last-minute political wrangling - and after objections by Israel's president and attorney-general - would 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."

Ayman Odeh, the head of the Arab Joint List, said in a statement quoted by The Associated Press following the vote: "Today, I will have to tell my children, along with all the children of Palestinian Arab towns in the country, that the state has declared that it does not want us here."</s>By allowing the Haudenosaunee to travel to Israel for the World Lacrosse Championships on their own passports, Canada undermined its colonial authority. But Ottawa did so at the behest of those promoting the most aggressive ongoing European settler colonialism.

"As Indigenous peoples, we have both seen our traditional lands colonized, our people ethnically cleansed and massacred by colonial settlers," the Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel wrote the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Nationals on July 4. "We are asking you to respect our nonviolent picket line by withdrawing from the 2018 World Lacrosse Championships, denying Israel the opportunity to use the national sport of the Iroquois to cover up its escalating, violent ethnic cleansing of Palestinians throughout our ancestral lands."

While a number of Nationals players expressed support for the Palestinians' plight, the team rejected the call, possibly fearing a fine or banishment from future tournaments. Also affecting the Iroquois' decision, whose confederacy crosses the Canada-U.S. border, was the political importance they place on competing internationally. As "the only First Nations team officially sanctioned to compete in any sport internationally," playing lacrosse internationally is a way to assert their sovereignty, especially when governments accept their Haudenosaunee passports. As such, Canada often makes it difficult for them to travel on their First Nation passports. The Nationals were forced to withdraw from the 2010 World Lacrosse Championships in England for that reason.

Last Monday the Nationals were stopped from flying out of Toronto on their Haudenosaunee passports. But two days later Ottawa came to an agreement with Tel Aviv after Israeli officials, former justice minister Irwin Cotler, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) intervened. According to the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Canada granted the team, though "no other Haudenosaunee passport holders, a one-time exemption to travel to Israel using their Indigenous passports." In response, the co-founder of the Electronic Intifada, Ali Abunimah, noted on Twitter, "Justin Trudeau bends Canada's refusal to recognize Haudenosaunee passports, but only for Israel."

Anti-Palestinian groups labelled the Nationals participation in the tournament "a victory for Israel." "The fact that they are here is a tremendous victory against BDS," said former Israeli Knesset member Dov Lipman, who played a key role in navigating intense diplomatic discussions between Canada and Israel, detailed in a Jerusalem Post story titled "The Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team's incredible journey to Israel."

For its part, CIJA announced that they "were pleased to play a role helping the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team overcome challenges related to their journey to participate in FILacrosse 2018 World Championships in Netanya. The team is now enroute to Israel."

The campaign to get the Nationals to Israel is the latest example of Israel lobby groups' work to thwart those who associate the plight of First Nations and Palestinians. Over the past 15 years Jewish and Christian Zionist groups have brought hundreds of First Nations leaders, educators, students and clergy to Israel.

In 2006 the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) took Assembly of First Nations (AFN) leaders, including Grand Chief Phil Fontaine, to Israel. Two years later the CJC sponsored a delegation of Indigenous women to the Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Centre. In 2007 and 2010 former Grand Chief of the AFN and head of the Misipawistik Cree, Ovide Mercredi, participated in tours organized by the Jewish National Fund.

In 2012 CIJA sponsored an Indigenous tour to Israel with Cree and Inuit leaders as well as Indigenous representatives from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Greenland. One participant, Ron Evans, was the Chief of Norway House Cree Nation. A former Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Evans called Jews "the true, historic Indigenous people of Israel."

In 2014 Stand With Us Canada sponsored a trip for Ryan Bellerose, a Metis from northern Alberta, who has become a leading Israel advocate. Bellerose has written articles titled "Are Jews Indigenous to the Land of Israel? Yes" and spoken about the "effective use of the Indigenous rights argument in Israel advocacy." Despite running into trouble for derogatory comments to Palestinian resistance members, B'nai Brith hired Bellerose as its advocacy coordinator for Western Canada in 2016.

In Manitoba B'nai Brith is part of a Jewish/Aboriginal/Christian round table that has promoted Indigenous Christian Zionism. One of its acolytes is leading Aboriginal Christian zionist preacher Raymond McLean, who was profiled in a November Walrus story titled "Inside the Controversial U.S. Evangelical Movement Targeting Indigenous People."

To highlight Israel's 60th, the pastor of the First Nations Family Worship Centre in Winnipeg launched World Indigenous Nations for Israel. McLean told Israel birthday revellers in Winnipeg: "We are going to be celebrating all year, because the Jewish people got their land back that God had promised them." McLean, who visited Israel 16 times between 2003 and 2012, said: "I believe that since the Jewish people are God's chosen people, we have to stand with them."

McLean dismisses the connection between settler colonialism in Canada and Israel. But, in doing so he employs a terra nullius/doctrine of discovery type argument -- which was used to justify settling Turtle Island -- to deny Palestinian indigeneity. According to McLean:

"There were Arab nomads who lived in the Holy Land prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 who were hired by the new Jewish settlers. Also, neighbouring Arabs from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt sought employment and were hired by the Jews who were settling in their new land after returning from exile after 2,500 years to reclaim their inheritance left by the ancestors. These Arabs became known as Palestinians but were originally Arab nomads and neighbours of Israel who Israel endorsed and recognized as Israeli citizens."

Israel lobby groups have worked hard to build support among First Nations. By enabling the Nationals to participate in the World Lacrosse Championships they succeeded in gaining Indigenous cover for the most aggressive ongoing European settler colonialism.</s>Israel passes law anchoring itself as nation-state of the Jewish people

JERUSALEM — Israel passed a contentious basic law Thursday that anchors itself as the nation-state of the Jewish people, promotes the development of Jewish communities and downgrades the status of Arabic from an official language to one with a “special status.”

In essence, the law enshrines the Jewish people’s exclusive right to self-determination in Israel, a move that was hailed by supporters as “historic” and denounced by detractors as discriminatory, racist and a blow to democracy.

The law is largely symbolic and declarative, but opponents say it harms the delicately balanced relationship between the country’s Jewish majority and its Arab minority, which makes up about 21 percent of a population of nearly 9 million.

The law, pushed through just before the Knesset, or Parliament went into summer recess, has been advanced as a flagship measure of the most right-wing and religious governing coalition in Israel’s 70-year history.

It was enacted after a decade of political wrangling and hours of debate in Parliament, and it is one of more than a dozen basic laws that are difficult to overturn and that, together, serve as the country’s constitution.

Since it was established, Israel has been grappling with the inherent tensions between its dual aspirations of being both Jewish and democratic.

“This is a defining moment in the annals of Zionism and the annals of the state of Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said soon after the vote early Thursday. “We have determined in law the founding principle of our existence. Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people, and respects the rights of all of its citizens.”

But if the law was meant to give expression to Israel’s national identity, it exposed and further divided an already deeply fractured society. It passed in the 120-seat Parliament by a vote of 62-55 with two abstentions. One member was absent.

Ayman Odeh, leader of the Joint List of predominantly Arab parties, which holds 13 seats and is the third-largest bloc in Parliament, waved a black flag in protest.

Adalah, a legal center that campaigns for Arab rights in Israel, said in a statement:

“This law guarantees the ethnic-religious character of Israel as exclusively Jewish and entrenches the privileges enjoyed by Jewish citizens, while simultaneously anchoring discrimination against Palestinian citizens and legitimizing exclusion, racism, and systemic inequality.”</s>Israel has passed a law to declare that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country, something members of the Arab minority have called racist and verging on apartheid.

The "nation-state" law, backed by the Government, passed by a vote of 62-55 and two abstentions in the 120-member Parliament after months of political argument.

Some Arab politicians shouted and ripped up papers after the vote.

"This is a defining moment in the annals of Zionism and the history of the state of Israel," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset after the vote.

"Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people, which honours the individual rights of all its citizens," he said.

"Lately there are people who are trying to destabilise this and therefore destabilise the foundations of our existence and our rights," he added.

"So today we have made a law in stone. This is our country. This is our language. This is our anthem and this is our flag. Long live the state of Israel."

Ayman Odeh, the head of the Arab Joint List, pulled out a black flag and waved it during his speech in Parliament, warning of the implications of the law.

"This is an evil law," he said, adding that "a black flag hovers over it".

In a statement following the law's passage, Mr Odeh "today I will have to tell my children, along with all the children of Palestinian Arab towns in the country, that the state has declared that it does not want us here".

Benny Begin, the son of former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, and the founder of Mr Netanyahu's ruling Likud party, abstained from voting, warning of the party's growing disconnect from human rights.

"This is not a decision I expected from the Likud leadership," he said.

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 per cent 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, who have long said they are treated as second-class citizens.

Clauses that were dropped in last-minute political wrangling — and after objections by Israel's President and Attorney-General — would 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:

Even after the changes, critics said the new law would deepen a sense of alienation within the Arab minority.

"I announce with shock and sorrow the death of democracy," Ahmed Tibi, an Arab politician, told reporters.

The American Jewish Committee, a group representing the Jewish diaspora, said it was "deeply disappointed," saying the law "put at risk the commitment of Israel's founders to build a country that is both Jewish and democratic".

Israel's Arab population is comprised mainly of descendants of the Palestinians who remained on their land during the conflict between Arabs and Jews that culminated in the war of 1948 surrounding the creation of the modern state of Israel.

Hundreds of thousands were forced to leave their homes or fled.

Those who remained have full equal rights under the law but say they face constant discrimination, citing inferior services and unfair allocations for education, health and housing.</s>TEL AVIV—Israel’s parliament passed a law defining the country as a Jewish state, a step supporters say enshrines a basic national principle but that opponents said discriminates against Arab citizens.

The legislation, approved early Thursday after hours of heated debate, declares Israel “the national home of the Jewish people” and says only Jews have “the right to exercise national self-determination.” It also downgrades Arabic from an official language to a “special one.”</s>Either he doesn't know what nationhood and religion are, or Benjamin Netahyahu is trying to redefine history for Israel.

My guess is that Bibi is up to something, something really bloody this time. No wonder he characterized it as "a defining moment in the annals of Zionism and the history of the state of Israel," after the parliament on Thursday adopted the law (with 62 to 55 votes) declaring the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people.

Israel cannot be serious to call itself "the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it" because a parliament, that is, a political body, cannot rule on the historicity of an event, let alone on the homeland of Jewish people.

Many Jews call Spain home. Despite all that happened in the 1930s and 1940s, Germany, Poland and many other European countries are still homelands for their Jews. So is Turkey. Turkey is a proud home for many Jews. Many historians think that the Palestine valley was the Biblical (and Talmudic) land of Jews after their (again Biblical andTalmudic) exodus from Egypt. The historical truth of these stories is a matter of belief. There are other interpretations of historical excavations and Biblical texts that claim Palestine as the homeland of other peoples. A political body cannot determine which interpretation of archaeological findings or which exegesis of a religious text is correct. When the world accepted such a right of a political regime last time, it regretted it dearly after 60 million people died. If Hitler shouldn't have an authority on the nature of Germany, the character of its citizens and religious beliefs they can hold, Netanyahu shouldn't either.

This political resolution of the very tiny majority (only seven votes) in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, cannot redefine what religion and nation are. There are many nations in the world named after the land they are living on (i.e., Americans); and many others giving ethnic names to the land they are living on (i.e., France). Israel, no matter what the origin of the name and legal status of its creation, is now a country with internationally recognized borders and a legitimate membership in the United Nations, is home to many ethnic peoples, people with different religions and communities. Twenty percent of the people living in Israel are Arabs, most of them are Muslims; and a sizable portion are Christian.

You may welcome all the Jews in the world to migrate to Israel if they wish to do so. They may not find enough space to put a bed there, but that would be their problem! Even then, Israel wouldn't be natural homeland of the Jewish people and a nation-state.

That notorious term of "nation-state" belongs to the post-imperial periods and the root cause of many modern ethnic cleansing campaigns. We just remembered the 8,000 Muslim Bosniaks, mainly men and boys, in and around the town of Srebrenica killed by those who wanted Serbia to be a nation-state, and cleansed of Muslims.

The land of Palestine held a multiethnic people and many religious and cultural communities before the British offered this land to the homeless Jewish people at the end of World War II. The British government, seeking creative ways to appease the U.S. administration which was angry with the British move to pouch off Iraqi oil at that time, offered Palestine as a "national home" for Jews. But despite this meaningless term the Balfour Declaration called for safeguarding the civil and religious rights for the Palestinian Arabs; and the United Nations recognized the rights of the local population.

In short this law of Israel is wrong: all Jews of other countries belong to their own nations, and the Arabs, the Arabic language, the religions of Islam and Christianity belong to Israel.

But the State of Israel never has never done anything meaningless before. Netanyahu is up to something big that would justify this wrongdoing. Those who have taken similar wrong routes before him have never arrived at the right destination.</s>Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analyses from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.

The following is the complete text of the Jewish Nation-State Law, which passed a final vote in the Knesset overnight Wednesday, with links to The Jerusalem Post reporting on the discussions about its various elements.

 **



 Basic Law: Israel - The nation state of the Jewish people





1. The State of Israela) Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people in which the state of Israel was established.b) The state of Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people , in which it actualizes its natural, religious, and historical right for self-determination.c) The actualization of the right of national self-determination in the state of Israel is unique to the Jewish people.2. National symbols of the State of Israela) The name of the state is Israel.b) The flag of the state is white, two blue stripes near the edges, and a blue Star of David in the center.c) The symbol of the state is the Menorah with seven branches, olive leaves on each side, and the word Israel at the bottom.d) The national anthem of the state is "Hatikvah"e) [Further] details concerning the issue of state symbols will be determined by law.3. [The] unified and complete [city of] Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.4. The Language of the State of Israela) Hebrew is the language of the state.b) The Arabic language has a special status in the state ; the regulation of the Arab language in state institutions or when facing them will be regulated by law.c) This clause does not change the statues given to the Arabic language before the basic law was created.5. The state will be open to Jewish immigration and to the gathering of the exiled.6. The Diasporaa) The state will labor to ensure the safety of sons of the Jewish people and its citizens who are in trouble and captivity due to their Jewishness or their citizenship.b) The state will act to preserve the cultural, historical and religious legacy of the Jewish people among the Jewish diaspora. 7. The state views Jewish settlement as a national value and will labor to encourage and promote its establishment and development. 8. The Hebrew calendar is the official calendar of the state and alongside it the Julian calendar will serve as an official calendar. The usage of the Hebrew calendar and of the Julian calendar will be determined by law.9. National Holidaysa) Independence Day is the official holiday of the state.b) The Memorial Day for those who fell in the wars of Israel and the Memorial Day for the Holocaust and heroism are official memorial days of the state.10. Saturday and the Jewish Holidays are the official days of rest in the state. Those who are not Jewish have the right to honor their days of rest and their holidays. Details concerning these matters will be determined by law.11. This Basic Law may not be altered except by a Basic Law that gained the approval of the majority of the Knesset members.</s>A banner supporting the creation of a single state for Israelis and Palestinians which reads in Arabic: "If I had to choose between one state and two states, I would choose the one state"

The nation-state law is stirring fierce debate among both Jews and Arabs in Israel, about whether such legislation was needed, and about its various clauses. But a majority of MKs cast an unhesitating vote in favor.

As someone who studies the status of the Arabic language, I feel compelled to address the section of the law that removes Arabic’s standing as an official language. Beyond the practical implications of this, there is another aspect: It signals that Israel seeks to be a foreign implant among its neighbors and to eliminate the connection between Arabic and the Jews.

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Here are nine points to consider, now that Arabic has been erased as an official language:

1. Lowering the status of Arabic, and of Arabs: This is what the law is trying to put over on us. It states that Arabic will no longer be an official language but in the same line says that its status “will not be harmed.” The semantics won’t fool anyone: If Arabic was an official yesterday but isn’t one today, then its status – and that of Arabic-speakers – has been harmed. Essentially, Israel is saying to its Arab citizens: From now on, we do not officially recognize your language and your culture.

2. Protest and language: The link between language and identity is a Gordian knot that is at the forefront of the latest research on the subject. For instance, the first “war” of the Jewish Yishuv in Palestine is called “the war of the languages” and had to do with opposition to the decision of the Ezra company to teach at the Technion and the Reali School in German. The big anti-apartheid protests in South Africa also marked a major milestone in wake of a decision related to language: In June 1976, the Soweto riots erupted after the authorities announced that Afrikaans and English would be the languages of instruction in the schools. It’s hard to understand why the Israeli government felt it was so urgent just now to press on this sensitive spot.

3. Arabic and the 29th of November: Israel is always pointing out that the basis for the state’s establishment was the Zionist movement’s acceptance of the 1947 UN Partition Plan. Regardless of the nature of the plan, it must be recalled that the basis for Israel’s establishment, its consent to the Partition Plan, rests on a promise at the heart of that plan: a pledge by the Jewish state not to harm the rights of minorities, with an explicit mention of “preserving linguistic rights.” Erasing the status of a language that was an official language of the country for many decades would be a blatant violation of the commitment upon which Israel’s establishment was based.

4. Jewish-Arab relations and the government’s recommendations: Demoting Arabic’s status is not just opposed by human rights organizations; it also goes against the recommendations of a governmental commission of inquiry. It’s astounding to go back to the report of the Or Commission, which investigated the events of October 2000 in regard to Jewish-Arab relations in Israel. The commission, headed by Judge Theodor Or, found that “the government must act to erase the stain of discrimination against its Arab citizens.” It’s not surprising that the government-appointed commission also discussed linguistic rights, noting that the recognition of Arabic as an official language was one of the few collective rights that Arab citizens enjoyed and that should be preserved. Precisely the opposite of the aim of the nation-state law.

5. Arabic and the Arab world: Israel is located in a region where Arabic is the lingua franca. Israel does not have warm peaceful relations with any Middle Eastern countries despite having its hand “outstretched in peace.” Will eliminating Arabic’s status help Israel convey a message of peace to its neighbors? Had Arabic never been an official language here it would be one thing, but by the act of officially erasing the language of the Middle East, Israel is sending an unfortunate message to all its neighbors: The official status of Arabic may have been a slight show of respect for the local language, but now that is being taken away too.

6. Arabic and Jews, Arabic and Hebrew: Arabic is not only the language of Muslims, Christians and Druze in the Middle East. Arabic was the most common language of a majority of Jews until the 12th century, and continued to be a language of creativity and communication and philosophy for most of the Jews who lived in the countries of the East. Some of the most important Jewish religious and philosophical writing, from Musa ibn Maimun to Said ibn Yusef al-Fayumi (Maimonides and Saadia Gaon), was written in Arabic and Judeo-Arabic. Moreover, of all the world’s widely spoken languages today, Arabic is the closest to Hebrew. They are “Semitic sisters,” as Jewish scholars referred to them, “and every root that exists in Hebrew also exists in Arabic,” as Eliezer Ben-Yehuda noted. Thus, the erasure of Arabic also means the erasure of part of the Jewish past, and of the Jewish connection to the Arabic language, the Middle East and the local peoples.

7. Knowledge of Arabic among Jewish Israelis: The most recent survey about Jewish Israelis’ knowledge of Arabic had disturbing findings. Conducted by a Tel Aviv University polling institute in 2015, the survey found that less than 10 percent of Jewish Israelis said they “understand Arabic”; only 6.8 percent of Jewish Israelis said they “understand Arabic letters”; 2.4 percent said “they could read a short text in Arabic”; 1.4 percent said they could compose a brief email in Arabic and just 0.4 percent said they could “read a novel in Arabic.” The situation has never been worse. The generation that knew Arabic as a mother tongue is disappearing. For the first time in the last 1,500 years there is no Jewish composition in Arabic in this country. And erasing Arabic’s official status is the farthest thing from a solution to this problem.

8. Opposition of the professional organizations: Scholarly professional organizations opposed the elimination of Arabic’s official status in Israel. The Israeli Association for the Study of Language and Society, the lone professional association concerned with the connection between languages and populations in Israel, issued an opinion saying that its members “adamantly oppose the language section of the bill, as any erasure of language could have dire consequences.” The same goes for the Academy of the Arabic Language in Israel, founded as the result of a government law, which said “In light of the steep retreat in Arabic’s standing, considered action should be taken to improve its status.” And most scholars of Arabic studies feel the removal of Arabic’s official status is bad and foolish. Only the MKs thought differently.

9. Arabic as an official language – whom does it hurt?: “Official language” is a general status given to a language and every country chooses how to interpret that. One may require knowledge of the official languages for a government job; others may choose to make the official language visible on its currency. South Africa has 11 official languages. Does this mean that every lecture at every public university is given in 11 languages? Of course not. But it is a way for the state to say to its citizens: You are part of us. In Israel, since 1948, there have been two official languages, just as there are two peoples who live in the country. Preserving Arabic’s official status is also important on the level of principle, and eliminating that status will have much harsher repercussions than maintaining the status quo ante would have had.

The Knesset has had its say and the nation-state law has been enacted. Ironically, amid the discussion of Israel’s “Jewish and democratic values,” a section of the law that might have called for preserving Arabic’s official status and promoting knowledge of the language would have been the only part of it, in the deepest sense, to be both Jewish and democratic.

Dr. Mendel is director of the Van Leer Institute’s Center for Jewish-Arab Relations, director of the Forum of Hebrew-Arabic Translators and a research fellow at the Forum for Regional Thinking.</s>JERUSALEM — Israel’s parliament approved a controversial piece of legislation on Thursday that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people but which critics warn sidelines minorities.

The government says the bill, passed in the early morning hours, will merely enshrine into law Israel’s existing character. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called its passage a “historic moment in the history of Zionism and the history of the state of Israel.”

“Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, which honors the individual rights of all its citizens,” he said. “I repeat this is our state. The Jewish state.”

“Lately, there are people who are trying to destabilize this and therefore destabilize the foundations of our existence and our rights,” he added. “So today we have made a law in stone.

“This is our country. This is our language. This is our anthem and this is our flag. Long live the state of Israel.”

Israel’s 1948 declaration of independence defined its nature as a Jewish and democratic state, a delicate balance the country has grappled to maintain for 70 years.

Opponents of the new bill say it marginalizes the country’s Arab minority of around 20 percent and also downgrades Arabic language from official to “special” standing.

The law passed with a 62-55 backing, with two members of the Knesset abstaining. The legislation, defined as a “basic law,” granting it quasi-constitutional status, will likely face a challenge at the Supreme Court.

Lawmakers took turns to passionately express their views in a rowdy, hours-long debate in parliament overnight.

Ayman Odeh, head of the Arab Joint List, pulled out a black flag and waved it during his speech, warning of the implications of the law.

“This is an evil law,” he told lawmakers, adding that “a black flag hovers over it.”

“Today, I will have to tell my children, along with all the children of Palestinian Arab towns … that the state has declared that it does not want us here,” Odeh said in a statement later. “It has passed a law of Jewish supremacy and told us that we will always be second-class citizens.”

Benny Begin, son of former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, the founder of Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, abstained from voting, warning of the party’s growing disconnect from human rights.

“This is not a decision I expected from the Likud leadership,” he said.

Eugene Kontorovich, international law director at the Kohelet Policy Forum, a conservative Jerusalem think tank, defended the bill, arguing it “is similar to provisions in many Western democratic constitutions, which provide for an official language and national character that reflects the majority of the population.”

Kontorovich dismissed the “faux outrage” against the bill as “simply another attempt to single out the Jewish state and hold her to a double standard.”

American Jewish organizations also expressed their disapproval of the law.

The American Jewish Committee, a group representing the Jewish Diaspora, said it was “deeply disappointed,” adding that the law “puts at risk the commitment of Israel’s founders to build a country that is both Jewish and democratic.”

Jeremy Ben Ami, president of J Street, a Washington liberal pro-Israel group, said the bill’s purpose is “to send a message to the Arab community, the LGBT community and other minorities in Israel, that they are not and never will be equal citizens.”

“Strong connection between Israel and Jews worldwide is based on these values that Israel is both a Jewish and democratic state,” Ben Ami said, noting concerns the bill would “weaken the strength of Israel’s democracy.”

Lawmakers on Sunday had removed the most contentious clause of the bill, which would have allowed the establishment of “separate communities” and which critics had called racist.

Israelis, including President Reuven Rivlin and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, voiced opposition to the earlier draft of the bill. Israelis opposed to the bill, deeming it discriminatory, took to the streets to protest in large numbers on Saturday in Tel Aviv.
The Israeli Parliament passes a Basic Law declaring that the Land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people and that the right to exercise national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people, and also removes Arabic as an official language.