Jerusalem – An Israeli Arab lawmaker says he is resigning from parliament for “ideological reasons” to protest the recent passage of a controversial law enshrining the state’s Jewish character.
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Labor lawmaker Zuhair Bahloul says Sunday he can no longer serve in a country that officially marginalizes the 20 percent Arab minority he represents.
Bahloul, a former popular sports broadcaster, is regarded as a symbol of Jewish and Arab coexistence.
His departure marks further fallout from the explosive bill, which has also seen strong opposition from a Druze minority that serves in the military and feels slighted by the legislation.
Israel’s 1948 declaration of independence defined its nature as a Jewish and democratic state. The government says the bill merely enshrines the country’s existing character but critics say it undercuts its democratic values.
Might as well. The new law seems to say that the Arabs have no business in Israel.
Great news! Now hopefully his buddies will follow suit! They are traitors to Israel and have no place in the govt.! In which arab country do you see Jews sitting in their govt.?!
We do not need a nationality law.
We express our nationality by keeping the Torah, as clearly stated by Rav Saadya Gaon: “our nation is a nation solely by virtue of our Torah”.
The “Nationaly Law” was produced by a confused secular majority who don’t really understand who they are and what they are doing in the Holy Land.
If they want Israel to be a “Jewish” they should keep all the laws of the Torah in public, including complete closure of Lod airport on Shabbat.
This will make the state of Israel Jewish, for all to see.
This useless misguided “Nationality Law” will only serve to arouse internal strife and external antagonism without accomplishing anything.
But then again, our politicians are famous for their incompetent stupidity.
No surprise here!