Loyalty oath to 'Jewish state' set to be approved
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND GIL HOFFMAN
06/10/2010
Changes to citizenship law would require new citizens to declare loyalty to Israel as "a Jewish and democratic state"; Braverman says decision would encourage efforts to delegitimize Israel around the world.
Ministers in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's government were expected to approve changes in the Citizenship Law, requiring anyone wanting to become a citizen to swear allegiance to "the State of Israel - a Jewish and democratic state" on Wednesday.
Officials in the Prime Minister's Office said that, "What we demand from the Palestinians, we also need to demand of ourselves."
Once the government approves the changes, the Justice Ministry will put together a final draft of the bill which will then go before the Knesset for a vote.
If the changes are enacted, anyone who wants to become a citizen will be forced to say, "I declare that I will be a loyal citizen to the State of Israel - a Jewish and democratic state." Ironically, the largest group of new immigrants acquiring Israeli citizenship - those who fall under the law of return - will not be required to take the oath.
"Israel is the national state of the Jewish people," Netanyahu said. "This is a basic principle that guides the government in its policies, foreign and domestic. It is a cornerstone of Israeli legislation and is the expressed terminology of the Jewish, democratic state." The Prime Minister continued, "and it will appear in the declaration of loyalty for anyone who requests to become a citizen."
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has similarly called for all Israeli Arabs to be required to take a similar loyalty oath, although the current proposal would not apply to those who are already Israeli citizens.
Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi came out against the proposed changes, saying that "Netanyahu's decision to force citizens to declare their loyalty to a Jewish Israel is a political ploy, not leadership, the goal of which is to enmesh the inferior status of Arabs into the law." Tibi continued, "there is no doubt that the Liebermanism is dictating the policy of this radical government."
Netanyahu had attempted to soften the wording of the proposed changes. However, the text approved on Wednesday is nearly identical to that proposed by Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman.
Decision angered ministers on Left and Arab MKs
Minorities Affairs Minister Avishay Braverman (Labor) called the decision "infuriating and irresponsible." He said it would encourage efforts to delegitimize Israel around the world.
Ta'al MK Ahmed Tibi said the legislation "sanctioned discrimination against Arabs and added that "no declaration can cancel the Palestinian narrative that has been accepted all over the world."
Israel Beiteinu praised the prime minister for the move, which a party spokesman said was fulfilling a promise Netanyahu had made to Israel Beiteinu when the coalition was formed.
"The obligation of every Israeli citizen to maintain Israel as a Jewish democratic state and even more so for people who are not citizens but want to be, is a fundamental and necessary need, especially when there are those who question [Israel's character]."
National Union MK Arye Eldad said he was glad Netanyahu realized that what he was asking of the Palestinians and the world, he had to also ask potential citizens of his own country. But he expressed concern that the prime minister was only advancing patriotic legislation in order to ease future moves toward withdrawing from territory and establishing a Palestinian state.
Why now?
What does it achieve?
Who must take the oath?
What happens to those that refuse to take the oath?
I favor an oath that would be worded so as to be rejected by the Haredi community.
But what of Israeli Arabs, in order for the oath to mean anything all citizens must be required to take it.
But what of the Palestinians that are not Israeli citizens and are our biggest internal problem.
I fear Bibi is offering this to the right wing and then he is going to either freeze construction in Judea and Samaria or even worse give our land away.
