3 aug 2018
Israel has for the first time publicly threatened to intervene militarily in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait which is under the de facto control of Yemen’s popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would order such an action as part of “an international coalition,” Ha’aretz reported.
Netanyahu, however, claimed that its military action would be targeting Iran which has never made an assertion of trying to intervene in the strait.
"If Iran tries to block the Straits of Bab al-Mandeb, it will find itself facing an international coalition determined to prevent it from doing so," he said.
Saudi Arabia claimed last week that it had temporarily suspended all oil shipments through Bab el-Mandeb following attacks by Houthi fighters.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said two Saudi very large crude carriers (VLCCs), each carrying two million barrels of oil, had been attacked in the Red Sea.
The Houthis said the targets were Saudi Arabia's al-Dammam military frigate, and a boat deployed by the kingdom in the ongoing aggression against Yemen.
Market watchers also disputed Riyadh's allegations that its exports through Bab el-Mandeb had been halted.
Netanyahu, however, stuck to the Saudi version of the events in an address to a group of naval commanders as he warned of a coalition that "would include Israel in all its branches.”
"Earlier this week, we witnessed a sharp clash with Iran's satellites who tried to sabotage international shipping in the Straits at the mouth of the Red Sea," he said.
The Houthis have been defending Yemen against a three-year war by a Saudi-led coalition which has been fighting to restore a former government backed by Riyadh.
Over the past years, various reports have pointed to secret dealings between Israel and Saudi Arabia, especially under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Last month, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said the Saudi coalition was implementing the Israeli agenda in the region.
In June, he said Israeli warplanes had been detected flying over the key Yemeni port city of Hudaydah which is currently subject to a Saudi and UAE blitzkrieg.
"Yemen is actually fighting against a Saudi-Zionist coalition," he said, referring to a military campaign which Riyadh has been carrying out against Yemen since 2015.
Several Western countries, the US and the UK in particular, are widely known to be helping Saudi Arabia in the aggression, but Israel's public announcement of involvement in the conflict adds new dynamics to the turmoil.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would order such an action as part of “an international coalition,” Ha’aretz reported.
Netanyahu, however, claimed that its military action would be targeting Iran which has never made an assertion of trying to intervene in the strait.
"If Iran tries to block the Straits of Bab al-Mandeb, it will find itself facing an international coalition determined to prevent it from doing so," he said.
Saudi Arabia claimed last week that it had temporarily suspended all oil shipments through Bab el-Mandeb following attacks by Houthi fighters.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said two Saudi very large crude carriers (VLCCs), each carrying two million barrels of oil, had been attacked in the Red Sea.
The Houthis said the targets were Saudi Arabia's al-Dammam military frigate, and a boat deployed by the kingdom in the ongoing aggression against Yemen.
Market watchers also disputed Riyadh's allegations that its exports through Bab el-Mandeb had been halted.
Netanyahu, however, stuck to the Saudi version of the events in an address to a group of naval commanders as he warned of a coalition that "would include Israel in all its branches.”
"Earlier this week, we witnessed a sharp clash with Iran's satellites who tried to sabotage international shipping in the Straits at the mouth of the Red Sea," he said.
The Houthis have been defending Yemen against a three-year war by a Saudi-led coalition which has been fighting to restore a former government backed by Riyadh.
Over the past years, various reports have pointed to secret dealings between Israel and Saudi Arabia, especially under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Last month, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said the Saudi coalition was implementing the Israeli agenda in the region.
In June, he said Israeli warplanes had been detected flying over the key Yemeni port city of Hudaydah which is currently subject to a Saudi and UAE blitzkrieg.
"Yemen is actually fighting against a Saudi-Zionist coalition," he said, referring to a military campaign which Riyadh has been carrying out against Yemen since 2015.
Several Western countries, the US and the UK in particular, are widely known to be helping Saudi Arabia in the aggression, but Israel's public announcement of involvement in the conflict adds new dynamics to the turmoil.
Jerry Silverman, one of the most important Jewish Diaspora leaders, says he's 'disappointed the government passed legislation which was effectively a step back for all minorities.'
Jerry Silverman, the president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, strongly condemned Thursday the controversial Nationality Law, under which only Jews have the right for self-determination in the State of Israel.
"As strong supporters of Israel, we were disappointed that the government passed legislation which was effectively a step back for all minorities," Silverman wrote in a post on the JFNA Facebook page.
Silverman, who is considered one of the more prominent and important Jewish Diaspora leaders, also expressed solidarity with the Druze community, who feel excluded by the law, urging Israeli legislators "to work with the community as soon as possible to address their very real concerns."
He added that "At the Jewish Federations conference in Tel Aviv in October—the General Assembly—we will address how Federations are working to help integrate minorities more fully into Israeli society."
After discussions with Druze leaders, the Prime Minister's Office released an outline proposal that was called in an effort to allay fears that the Nationality Law will impinge on their equality and basic rights. But Druze leaders decided not to accept the proposal and continue their struggle for full recognition as equal citizens.
On Thursday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly ended a meeting with Druze leaders after one of them, Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal Asad, called Israel an "apartheid state" in a Facebook post, further exacebrating the strain in ties between the State of Israel and its loyal Druze minority group.
Earlier this week, the Nationality Law came under criticism by former Likud Minister Dan Meridor, who called the legislation "unnecessary, harmful and mostly disgraceful."
"Our constitution is the ID of all citizens in the country. Everyone should be proud of it. But it's not just Arab or Druze citizens, I too cannot be proud of this Basic Law. I'm ashamed of it," said Meridor, the former justice and finance minister.
"The State of Israel is indeed the nation state of the Jewish people, but it must have full equality for all of its citizens," he continued.
"As a Jew whose people lived as a minority for 2,000 years, I am ashamed that in our country's Basic Laws, this government is not willing to write the most basic principle: All people are equal before the law," Meridor added.
"One must not be discriminated against over religion, nationality, race, gender or sexual orientation. All citizens, including Druze who serve in the army and Arabs who don't, are full citizens and the State of Israel is their only state."
He also called on the Israeli government to cancel the law.
Jerry Silverman, the president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, strongly condemned Thursday the controversial Nationality Law, under which only Jews have the right for self-determination in the State of Israel.
"As strong supporters of Israel, we were disappointed that the government passed legislation which was effectively a step back for all minorities," Silverman wrote in a post on the JFNA Facebook page.
Silverman, who is considered one of the more prominent and important Jewish Diaspora leaders, also expressed solidarity with the Druze community, who feel excluded by the law, urging Israeli legislators "to work with the community as soon as possible to address their very real concerns."
He added that "At the Jewish Federations conference in Tel Aviv in October—the General Assembly—we will address how Federations are working to help integrate minorities more fully into Israeli society."
After discussions with Druze leaders, the Prime Minister's Office released an outline proposal that was called in an effort to allay fears that the Nationality Law will impinge on their equality and basic rights. But Druze leaders decided not to accept the proposal and continue their struggle for full recognition as equal citizens.
On Thursday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly ended a meeting with Druze leaders after one of them, Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal Asad, called Israel an "apartheid state" in a Facebook post, further exacebrating the strain in ties between the State of Israel and its loyal Druze minority group.
Earlier this week, the Nationality Law came under criticism by former Likud Minister Dan Meridor, who called the legislation "unnecessary, harmful and mostly disgraceful."
"Our constitution is the ID of all citizens in the country. Everyone should be proud of it. But it's not just Arab or Druze citizens, I too cannot be proud of this Basic Law. I'm ashamed of it," said Meridor, the former justice and finance minister.
"The State of Israel is indeed the nation state of the Jewish people, but it must have full equality for all of its citizens," he continued.
"As a Jew whose people lived as a minority for 2,000 years, I am ashamed that in our country's Basic Laws, this government is not willing to write the most basic principle: All people are equal before the law," Meridor added.
"One must not be discriminated against over religion, nationality, race, gender or sexual orientation. All citizens, including Druze who serve in the army and Arabs who don't, are full citizens and the State of Israel is their only state."
He also called on the Israeli government to cancel the law.
Moshe Hasdai, former IDF major general and director of the youth advancement unit, published a defamatory article on the Channel 7 website, criticising left-wing movements and especially LGBT community, which he said weaken Israel in the eyes of its enemies; Hasdai also criticized IDF's first openly gay major general; Channel 7: 'Article was published due to a malfunction.'
The LGBT community activists filed dozens of police complaints against Moshe Hasdai, a Channel 7 journalist, who published a defamatory article inciting violence against the community.
Hasdai, Major Gen. (Res.), who was a director of the youth advancement unit in Kiryat Arba, founder and director of the Regional Youth Department in the Shafir Regional Council and the director of Mevaseret Zion Absorption Center.
He has in the past called for a destruction of the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas organization, stating that they, along with the Arab MKs, are neo-Nazis.
He wrote that the citizens of Israel are "fighting for their lives," and has also attacked the Israeli Left.
"The power of LGBT and other radical leftist movements, including radical feminism, are penetrating the military and other positions of power, which plays into the hands of the Arab enemy that sees it as an opportunity to weakens our military and national power," he wrote.
He reiterated his statements in an interview with Ynet, criticizing IDF’s first openly gay major general, Sharon Afek.
"When our enemies look at us and see the story about a major general coming out of the closet, all these demonstrations in Tel Aviv—involving nudity, multiple Pride Parades, disagreements within the general public—because some people feel very threatened by the whole LGBT issue, they interpret it as a weakness and not strength.
"A major general in the IDF must create deterrence in the eye of the enemy … the rest does not interest anyone," he concluded in the interview.
However, Hasdai acknowledged that his words might be upsetting to some and apologized to those he might have hurt.
Channel 7 responded to the uproar following the publication, saying the article was posted on their website due to “a malfunction", and issued an apology via their official Twitter account.
"Due to a malfunction, Channel 7 posted an article containing language that might be interpreted as violent towards the LGBT community. We condemn any calls for violence make sure the discourse remains respectful. The editor who allowed the article to be posted had been reprimanded and the article was taken down. We hope other media outlets adapt similar policies when it comes to incitement against any group in the Israeli society,” concluded the statement.
The activists who filed complaints against Hasdai issued a statement saying the police are not doing enough in order to discourage similar incidents.
"Every year members of the LGBT community deal with attacks of this nature and file police complaints that are thrown out due to a ’lack of public interest.’ This year it went a step further as the community is compared to the worst of all—the Nazis, the murderers.
“This kind of incitement is what leads to the incidents such as Shira Banki’s murder and hundreds of other attacks against the LGBT community which occur every year," said the statement.
The Pink Panthers group also commented on the incident, criticizing the lack of action on the issue from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"LGBT lives are just as important as any other Israeli citizen. We deserve peaceful and secure lives. The thunderous silence of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his ministers on this issue emphasizes the importance of a civil awakening that has been happening over the past few weeks. Without leadership, it is our job is to protect our LGBT brothers and sisters,” said the official statement.
The LGBT community activists filed dozens of police complaints against Moshe Hasdai, a Channel 7 journalist, who published a defamatory article inciting violence against the community.
Hasdai, Major Gen. (Res.), who was a director of the youth advancement unit in Kiryat Arba, founder and director of the Regional Youth Department in the Shafir Regional Council and the director of Mevaseret Zion Absorption Center.
He has in the past called for a destruction of the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas organization, stating that they, along with the Arab MKs, are neo-Nazis.
He wrote that the citizens of Israel are "fighting for their lives," and has also attacked the Israeli Left.
"The power of LGBT and other radical leftist movements, including radical feminism, are penetrating the military and other positions of power, which plays into the hands of the Arab enemy that sees it as an opportunity to weakens our military and national power," he wrote.
He reiterated his statements in an interview with Ynet, criticizing IDF’s first openly gay major general, Sharon Afek.
"When our enemies look at us and see the story about a major general coming out of the closet, all these demonstrations in Tel Aviv—involving nudity, multiple Pride Parades, disagreements within the general public—because some people feel very threatened by the whole LGBT issue, they interpret it as a weakness and not strength.
"A major general in the IDF must create deterrence in the eye of the enemy … the rest does not interest anyone," he concluded in the interview.
However, Hasdai acknowledged that his words might be upsetting to some and apologized to those he might have hurt.
Channel 7 responded to the uproar following the publication, saying the article was posted on their website due to “a malfunction", and issued an apology via their official Twitter account.
"Due to a malfunction, Channel 7 posted an article containing language that might be interpreted as violent towards the LGBT community. We condemn any calls for violence make sure the discourse remains respectful. The editor who allowed the article to be posted had been reprimanded and the article was taken down. We hope other media outlets adapt similar policies when it comes to incitement against any group in the Israeli society,” concluded the statement.
The activists who filed complaints against Hasdai issued a statement saying the police are not doing enough in order to discourage similar incidents.
"Every year members of the LGBT community deal with attacks of this nature and file police complaints that are thrown out due to a ’lack of public interest.’ This year it went a step further as the community is compared to the worst of all—the Nazis, the murderers.
“This kind of incitement is what leads to the incidents such as Shira Banki’s murder and hundreds of other attacks against the LGBT community which occur every year," said the statement.
The Pink Panthers group also commented on the incident, criticizing the lack of action on the issue from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"LGBT lives are just as important as any other Israeli citizen. We deserve peaceful and secure lives. The thunderous silence of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his ministers on this issue emphasizes the importance of a civil awakening that has been happening over the past few weeks. Without leadership, it is our job is to protect our LGBT brothers and sisters,” said the official statement.
2 aug 2018
Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal Asad calls Israel an 'apartheid state' over the Nationality Law in Facebook post, leading the prime minister to walk out of meeting Asad attended; Druze protesters interrupt law sponsor MK Avi Dichter's remarks at event, with one activist calling the MK 'racist' and 'Nazi.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly ended a meeting on the Nationality Law with Druze leaders after one of them, Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal Asad, called Israel an "apartheid state" in a Facebook post.
Netanyahu said he would not tolerate such an offense both to the prime minister Israel and to the State of Israel itself.
Some Druze mayors refused to attend the meeting.
Asad accused Netanyahu of planning the incident. "He had no intention of listening us, the officers who have a position contradictory to his own," Asad claimed. "He planned to come and take photos with the dignitaries, and say he's establishing committees. We came to present our positions."
Asad went on to say that "When he saw me, he said he didn't want to sit down with Amal, because I wrote that Israel is an apartheid state. If you didn't want to sit down with me, why did you invite me?"
He clarified he did not make his controversial accusation during the meeting itself, but in a Facebook post, where he also criticized the prime minister.
"I guess anyone who criticizes Netanyahu is X'ed out. I'm sorry I've been x'ed out. I'm proud of what I represent," he added. "We want the Nationality Law to change and to include me as an Israeli by law."
Zionist Union MK Saleh Saed, a Druze himself, criticized Asad's comment, saying it is "playing into the hands of the prime minister and hurts the Druze's fight. This is an unnecessary comment that should have not been said, and is in no way acceptable to me. The State of Israel is not an apartheid state."
Elsewhere, during a scholarship ceremony for Druze students at the ORT Braude College of Engineering, several Druze activists against the Nationality Law ran onto the stage and interrupted remarks by Likud MK Avi Dichter, one of the legislation's sponsors.
The protesting activists were led by Dr. Amir Hanifes, who represented the Druze community in the Knesset discussions on the law. Another activist called Dichter "racist" and "Nazi."
Dichter exclaimed in response: "I won't be called a 'Nazi!' Not by a Jew, an Arab, a Muslim or a Druze."
"I lost my family because of the Nazis, who murdered my mother's family and my father's family," he added.
Police officers who were called to the scene removed the two protesters from the ceremony.
MK Dichter left the event from a side exit, accompanied by police officers from the Yasam Special Patrol Unit.
After the event, he noted that the Druze's rage is a result of "a lot of disinformation," among other things.
"I don't recommend dismissing a Basic Law that passed with a 62 MKs majority," Dichter added.
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which organized the event, tried to calm down the tensions.
"The Nationality Law that passed in the Knesset left you, along with many thousands from among Israel's minorities who are seeking to integrate into Israeli society and become an integral part of the State of Israel, embarrassed and distressed," he said.
"I'm sure my friend Avi Dichter, that I know the Druze community is close to his heart, did not expect or wish for this crisis. I'm sure no one thought this harm will happen and be so serious. I believe what's been done can be fixed," Eckstein continued.
"I call on my friend Avi and all members of the Knesset and government to create a quick solution for this terrible situation we've found ourselves in," he concluded.
Druze high-schoolers ask Netanyahu: Stop the law
More than 60 Druze high school students sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Thursday, demanding to cancel the Nationality Law.
"We were raised looking up to our brothers, the IDF's Druze heroes, and on the legacy left to us by the 421 fallen Druze soldiers who were killed protecting the state. We, the future generation, are willing to give our lives to defend the homeland, just as the previous generations had done since the establishment of the state.
The Druze community has always been and will always be alongside the Jewish people, facing any challenge. Like our fathers and their fathers before them, we too want to be full partners in the security of the state and in ensuring its future as a secure, just and equal nation," the students opened their letter.
Turning to the Nationality Law, the wrote: "Mr. Prime Minister, the Nationality Law passed by the Israeli government causes a deep crisis for us, because it says we're not citizens with equal rights in our country—the State of Israel. This is outrageous, because nowhere in the law is the principle of equality," they wrote.
"Despite the great anger, the insult and the crisis, we will continue contributing to the State of Israel, as we've been taught by our parents and leaders. We will always be loyal to our country. We love it and are willing to serve it like our fathers before us," they noted.
"We turn to you, Mr. Prime Minister: Stop the Nationality Law. Hear our cries. The courage you showed in battle—please show the same courage as prime minister. You can stop the law and send it back to discussions to make the necessary amendments."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly ended a meeting on the Nationality Law with Druze leaders after one of them, Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal Asad, called Israel an "apartheid state" in a Facebook post.
Netanyahu said he would not tolerate such an offense both to the prime minister Israel and to the State of Israel itself.
Some Druze mayors refused to attend the meeting.
Asad accused Netanyahu of planning the incident. "He had no intention of listening us, the officers who have a position contradictory to his own," Asad claimed. "He planned to come and take photos with the dignitaries, and say he's establishing committees. We came to present our positions."
Asad went on to say that "When he saw me, he said he didn't want to sit down with Amal, because I wrote that Israel is an apartheid state. If you didn't want to sit down with me, why did you invite me?"
He clarified he did not make his controversial accusation during the meeting itself, but in a Facebook post, where he also criticized the prime minister.
"I guess anyone who criticizes Netanyahu is X'ed out. I'm sorry I've been x'ed out. I'm proud of what I represent," he added. "We want the Nationality Law to change and to include me as an Israeli by law."
Zionist Union MK Saleh Saed, a Druze himself, criticized Asad's comment, saying it is "playing into the hands of the prime minister and hurts the Druze's fight. This is an unnecessary comment that should have not been said, and is in no way acceptable to me. The State of Israel is not an apartheid state."
Elsewhere, during a scholarship ceremony for Druze students at the ORT Braude College of Engineering, several Druze activists against the Nationality Law ran onto the stage and interrupted remarks by Likud MK Avi Dichter, one of the legislation's sponsors.
The protesting activists were led by Dr. Amir Hanifes, who represented the Druze community in the Knesset discussions on the law. Another activist called Dichter "racist" and "Nazi."
Dichter exclaimed in response: "I won't be called a 'Nazi!' Not by a Jew, an Arab, a Muslim or a Druze."
"I lost my family because of the Nazis, who murdered my mother's family and my father's family," he added.
Police officers who were called to the scene removed the two protesters from the ceremony.
MK Dichter left the event from a side exit, accompanied by police officers from the Yasam Special Patrol Unit.
After the event, he noted that the Druze's rage is a result of "a lot of disinformation," among other things.
"I don't recommend dismissing a Basic Law that passed with a 62 MKs majority," Dichter added.
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which organized the event, tried to calm down the tensions.
"The Nationality Law that passed in the Knesset left you, along with many thousands from among Israel's minorities who are seeking to integrate into Israeli society and become an integral part of the State of Israel, embarrassed and distressed," he said.
"I'm sure my friend Avi Dichter, that I know the Druze community is close to his heart, did not expect or wish for this crisis. I'm sure no one thought this harm will happen and be so serious. I believe what's been done can be fixed," Eckstein continued.
"I call on my friend Avi and all members of the Knesset and government to create a quick solution for this terrible situation we've found ourselves in," he concluded.
Druze high-schoolers ask Netanyahu: Stop the law
More than 60 Druze high school students sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Thursday, demanding to cancel the Nationality Law.
"We were raised looking up to our brothers, the IDF's Druze heroes, and on the legacy left to us by the 421 fallen Druze soldiers who were killed protecting the state. We, the future generation, are willing to give our lives to defend the homeland, just as the previous generations had done since the establishment of the state.
The Druze community has always been and will always be alongside the Jewish people, facing any challenge. Like our fathers and their fathers before them, we too want to be full partners in the security of the state and in ensuring its future as a secure, just and equal nation," the students opened their letter.
Turning to the Nationality Law, the wrote: "Mr. Prime Minister, the Nationality Law passed by the Israeli government causes a deep crisis for us, because it says we're not citizens with equal rights in our country—the State of Israel. This is outrageous, because nowhere in the law is the principle of equality," they wrote.
"Despite the great anger, the insult and the crisis, we will continue contributing to the State of Israel, as we've been taught by our parents and leaders. We will always be loyal to our country. We love it and are willing to serve it like our fathers before us," they noted.
"We turn to you, Mr. Prime Minister: Stop the Nationality Law. Hear our cries. The courage you showed in battle—please show the same courage as prime minister. You can stop the law and send it back to discussions to make the necessary amendments."
Demonstrators attend a rally to protest against the controversial 'nation-state' bill in Tel Aviv on July 14, 2018
The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, adopted a controversial bill on May 19 that declared Israel “the nation-state of the Jewish people," in what was widely criticized as an apartheid measure discriminating against the Arab population.
The law was passed by a vote of 62-55 after a long and stormy debate, prioritizing “Jewish” values over democratic ones in the occupied territories.
It declares Jerusalem al-Quds the “capital” of Israel, allows Jewish-only communities, sets Hebrew as the official language of Israel and relegates Arabic from an official language to one with “special status.”
The so-called "Basic Law" gives only Jews the right to self-determination. It allows the Israeli regime to expand its annexation of Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds and views Jewish-only settlement expansion as a "national value."
Political analysts believe the legislation puts another nail in the coffin of peace with the Palestinians and discards any pretense of democracy in Israel.
S Mubashir Noor, a freelance journalist based in Pakistan, wrote in a recent article that the unconditional US support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had emboldened him to ignore all international laws and conventions.
Buoyed by the unconditional support of US President Donald Trump for his regime, including the controversial relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem al-Quds, "Netanyahu has given legal cover to Israel’s long-standing policy of social stratification based on race," he wrote, adding, "All that’s missing are separate drinking fountains for Arabs and Jews.”
Noor said confident that Washington will veto any retaliatory UN sanctions, Netanyahu remains oblivious to the fact that marginalizing both Jews and Arab-Israelis will sow nothing but strife for future generations.
The new Israeli law, which had been bouncing around the Israeli parliament since 2011, contradicts biblical teachings and religious standards as it excludes the word “God” from the text.
"This is unsurprising as the founders of Zionism were atheists who did not perceive Jews and Judaism as mutually inclusive terms,” Noor wrote.
Palestinian members of the Knesset have described the legislation's adoption as an effort to sabotage the Palestinian "story and narrative."
"It's an attempt at destroying the entire rhetoric of historic Palestine … it stands against an entire people," Ahmad Tibi, a Knesset member, told Qatar’s al-Jazeera news channel.
According to Tibi, Palestinians have long been treated as inferior to Jewish citizens - and the new law will make this even easier.
"Israel was never democratic to begin with," he said, adding, "It was racist in its policies, actions and laws. What's new is that this law is a Basic Law."
Since Israel defined itself as "Jewish and democratic" in 1958, the "Jewish nature" of the entity had always been a point that Palestinians adamantly opposed, but the new law took it a step further, Tibi said. "It is the definition of apartheid," he noted.
Aida-Touma Suleiman, another Knesset member, said, "We now expect to see a storm of legal proposals that are racist in nature."
"We must be ready to face them and fight them in parliament and on the public level as well," she said.
Suleiman also said the Israeli Knesset has never been a place of privilege to Arabs but has "served merely as one of the various spaces where we battle, struggle and strife."
She said Palestinians face a long "battle of fate" and difficult path towards scrapping the law.
"The law oppresses me and oppresses the population that sent me to the Knesset,'' said Israeli Arab lawmaker Zouheir Bahloul who resigned on Saturday.
He said the Knesset had become a rubber stamp of exceptional and racist legislation, adding he would run from the chamber "as one runs from raging fire."
Palestinian citizens of Israel are planning a series of actions in a bid to have the controversial law canceled.
Their lawmakers have so far penciled in a meeting with EU officials in Brussels and plan to work with various United Nations bodies and parliaments.
Meanwhile, a number of Druze Israeli officers have resigned from the military in protest at the controversial bill.
On Tuesday, Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot responded to an unprecedented wave of protests by Druze commanders, urging them to leave controversial political matters out of the military.
Diana Buttu, a lawyer and policy adviser at Al-Shabaka: the Palestinian Policy Network, said neither a supreme court ruling nor a call to the international community is going to change the reality on the ground for Palestinians.
The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, adopted a controversial bill on May 19 that declared Israel “the nation-state of the Jewish people," in what was widely criticized as an apartheid measure discriminating against the Arab population.
The law was passed by a vote of 62-55 after a long and stormy debate, prioritizing “Jewish” values over democratic ones in the occupied territories.
It declares Jerusalem al-Quds the “capital” of Israel, allows Jewish-only communities, sets Hebrew as the official language of Israel and relegates Arabic from an official language to one with “special status.”
The so-called "Basic Law" gives only Jews the right to self-determination. It allows the Israeli regime to expand its annexation of Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds and views Jewish-only settlement expansion as a "national value."
Political analysts believe the legislation puts another nail in the coffin of peace with the Palestinians and discards any pretense of democracy in Israel.
S Mubashir Noor, a freelance journalist based in Pakistan, wrote in a recent article that the unconditional US support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had emboldened him to ignore all international laws and conventions.
Buoyed by the unconditional support of US President Donald Trump for his regime, including the controversial relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem al-Quds, "Netanyahu has given legal cover to Israel’s long-standing policy of social stratification based on race," he wrote, adding, "All that’s missing are separate drinking fountains for Arabs and Jews.”
Noor said confident that Washington will veto any retaliatory UN sanctions, Netanyahu remains oblivious to the fact that marginalizing both Jews and Arab-Israelis will sow nothing but strife for future generations.
The new Israeli law, which had been bouncing around the Israeli parliament since 2011, contradicts biblical teachings and religious standards as it excludes the word “God” from the text.
"This is unsurprising as the founders of Zionism were atheists who did not perceive Jews and Judaism as mutually inclusive terms,” Noor wrote.
Palestinian members of the Knesset have described the legislation's adoption as an effort to sabotage the Palestinian "story and narrative."
"It's an attempt at destroying the entire rhetoric of historic Palestine … it stands against an entire people," Ahmad Tibi, a Knesset member, told Qatar’s al-Jazeera news channel.
According to Tibi, Palestinians have long been treated as inferior to Jewish citizens - and the new law will make this even easier.
"Israel was never democratic to begin with," he said, adding, "It was racist in its policies, actions and laws. What's new is that this law is a Basic Law."
Since Israel defined itself as "Jewish and democratic" in 1958, the "Jewish nature" of the entity had always been a point that Palestinians adamantly opposed, but the new law took it a step further, Tibi said. "It is the definition of apartheid," he noted.
Aida-Touma Suleiman, another Knesset member, said, "We now expect to see a storm of legal proposals that are racist in nature."
"We must be ready to face them and fight them in parliament and on the public level as well," she said.
Suleiman also said the Israeli Knesset has never been a place of privilege to Arabs but has "served merely as one of the various spaces where we battle, struggle and strife."
She said Palestinians face a long "battle of fate" and difficult path towards scrapping the law.
"The law oppresses me and oppresses the population that sent me to the Knesset,'' said Israeli Arab lawmaker Zouheir Bahloul who resigned on Saturday.
He said the Knesset had become a rubber stamp of exceptional and racist legislation, adding he would run from the chamber "as one runs from raging fire."
Palestinian citizens of Israel are planning a series of actions in a bid to have the controversial law canceled.
Their lawmakers have so far penciled in a meeting with EU officials in Brussels and plan to work with various United Nations bodies and parliaments.
Meanwhile, a number of Druze Israeli officers have resigned from the military in protest at the controversial bill.
On Tuesday, Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot responded to an unprecedented wave of protests by Druze commanders, urging them to leave controversial political matters out of the military.
Diana Buttu, a lawyer and policy adviser at Al-Shabaka: the Palestinian Policy Network, said neither a supreme court ruling nor a call to the international community is going to change the reality on the ground for Palestinians.
The EU and the UN can only issue condemnations, but that would be the "extent of it," given Washington's veto power at the UN Security Council, the expert added.
Since coming to office, Trump has been developing an even warmer relationship with Israel than previous US presidents.
According to Buttu, from Trump's recognizing of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's so-called capital to his "deal of the century" plan, the occupying regime's passing of the new law seems to have come at an optimal timing.
Since coming to office, Trump has been developing an even warmer relationship with Israel than previous US presidents.
According to Buttu, from Trump's recognizing of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's so-called capital to his "deal of the century" plan, the occupying regime's passing of the new law seems to have come at an optimal timing.
