Is
Israel a "Jewish and democratic" state? Or is it "the national
homeland of the Jewish people?
Sparked
a huge controversy, when the Israeli cabinet voted to amend the country's Basic
Law to refer to the state as "the national homeland of the Jewish
people."
Since
Israel's founding in 1948, the Basic Law has always referred to the state as
"Jewish and democratic."
Critics
of the proposed bill allege that it codifies discrimination against Israeli
Arabs, who comprise 20 percent of the country's population.
A version of the bill would delist Arabic as one of Israel's national
languages, instead relegating it as one with a "special status," and
would also reaffirm the sole right of Israel's Jewish citizens to national
self-determination.
The law was passed on a vote of 14-6
Has been called out by some, and deemed a
political move
Isaac Herzog, the head of Israel's
left-wing Labor Party, claimed that the bill was an unnecessary, reactionary
provocation.
The controversy over the bill comes
at a moment of heightened tension in Israel.
There was a recent shooting of an Israeli
man, which has been the latest in css-cultural violencehttp://news.yahoo.com/change-wording-sparks-huge-controversy-israel-220259906--politics.html
I don't think that it is right that the Israeli government because they are leaving out a large part of their population. It is unfair to anyone else who is not Jewish and lives in Israel because they are being excluded from their country.
ReplyDeleteDiscrimination. It's everywhere. Especially here. It is unfair to non-Jewish people since they are being marginalized from their country. I feel like the government should think twice before making a law like that.
ReplyDeleteI believed that the Israeli government should have control in this situation. It's not right for them to discriminate against anyone who isn't Jewish. Why should a government have these kinds of control, this seems like a dictatorship in a way controlling who can live in Israel or who can not.
ReplyDeleteI think the government must think prior to make the official decision because all human beings are equal, meaning the government shouldn't discriminate the non-Jewish.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government should better control the situation, it doesn’t seem right to discriminate against other people for not being Jewish.
ReplyDeleteI am not too familiar with this certain current event, but I do know that discrimination against non-Jewish people is wrongful because they are certainly still part of Israel's population.
ReplyDeleteDiscrimination in any form is terrible. And discriminating against one's beliefs is just plain wrong. I think the government needs to think this decision through a lot more.
ReplyDeletePeople living there should all have freedom to express their beliefs without any form of discrimination. Here in America we are filled with diversity in race,religion, etc. Its time some nations came to the point of learning to accept people with different beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI think that in todays world democracy and religion gets intertwined. In Israel that is what happened. When a person wants freedom in Israel they do not have it. If it is truly the jewish peoples homeland then the government would not get in the way of people believes. It is a form of discrimination that is just being "overlooked."
ReplyDeleteI think the Israeli government is wrong for making this decision. It is discriminatory against the non-Jews living in Israel. Excluding someone from their own country like that is never okay. The Israeli government should be ashamed of themselves.
ReplyDeleteLiving in a country where church and state are sepperated (for the most part) I believe that the government should have no say on what people can and can't believe in. Keeping people from believeing in the religion or lack of is what causes even more resistance towards the governent.
ReplyDeleteThe legitimacy of israel's dominion over those lands was dubious enough to begin with. While it may be a sacred place to the Jewish faith those lands are also sacred to the Christian and Islamic faiths. It was bad enough when the Jewish people unlawfully occupied land forcibly taken from Palestine, but for them to oppress and marginalize all those who are not of their faith is going too far. Of course, if the international community is unwilling to address israel's habit of calling airstrikes on civilians they are unlikely to address this.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the idea of an official religion for any country. Israel shouldn't claim favor over one religion even if they have the Holy Lands in their territory. Conflicts between Arabs and Jews in this region is already tense enough, they don't need to add anymore ammunition into an already growing fire. While they can unofficially claim to be homeland of the Jews, to do so in reality would be to deny a good number of their citizens a sense of community or belonging. There is more history in this country than just Jerusalem.
ReplyDeleteIn this case, the Israeli government needs to take true control over the situation, not letting the citizens have a choice in what they can and can't believe. Their beliefs shouldn't be impacted by their government, but people have the right to choose whatever religion they want to bring themselves into. The land should be open to all religions and not be based off of one and be violent to those who do not follow the same beliefs.
ReplyDeleteThis was my presentation, Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI think it's bad that the Israeli government because they leave out a huge part of their population. Its discrimination and it's unfair to non Jewish people.
ReplyDeleteGovernment and religion should not mix. This causes wars and generally harms the country and those surrounding it.
ReplyDeleteI don't consider this bill as proper because it would be discriminating against a large amount of the population. There are other religions who consider Israel as a holy land, thus they should be allowed to use Israel as holy land. The people of Israel should also be allowed to have religious freedom and be able to choose whatever religion they choose.
ReplyDeleteThis bill is pretty discriminating, and just leaves out a HUGE amount of their population. Israel should be more diverse with religions and such.
ReplyDelete