Israel’s Nation-State Law, celebrated by many Jewish Israelis, is deeply worrying to Palestinian Israelis. Already, after just one month, violence, threats of violence, and discriminatory policies are in high gear – this after decades of unrestrained injustice. And still the world remains silent.
Burt Cohen interviews Alison Weir about Israel’s new law… Cohen: “At least it’s now out in the open. All Israelis who are not Jewish have had their rights diminished. Given the longstanding discrimination against non-white non-European Jews, Palestinians and Druze are now just third class citizens…” Listen to the interview.
Jewish News Service reports: “A new poll by the Walla news website shows that most Israelis support the Nationality Law, with 58 percent agreeing with the current language and 34 percent opposed to it… The poll also showed that even more Israeli voters would choose Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party than prior to the controversy over the new law.”
Israel’s new Nation-State Law gives Jews exclusive right to self-determination; names Jerusalem as united capital; prioritizes ingathering of exiles and Jewish-only communities.
Palestinian reaction to Israel’s new Nation-State Law is hostile: words like “racism,” “ethnic cleansing,” “declaration of war,” “legitimization of hate,” and more.
If Israel is Jewish, it cannot be democratic; if it’s democratic, it cannot be Jewish. But now the nation-state law makes it plain. Israel is for Jews only, officially.
The Settlement Law is under scrutiny in the Supreme Court, accused of “breach[ing] an international convention on Apartheid”. If it stands, it may put Israel on track to annex the West Bank.
Samia Nasir Khouri boldly calls out Israel for a list of human rights violations and indignities perpetrated on Palestinians during the 70 years of its celebrated existence. She then offers a prayer of blessing on the dispossessed and repentance for the dispossessors from Rabbi Brant Rosen.
Amira Hass writes in Ha’aretz: ‘How did you destroy villages?’ one daughter will ask. ‘How did you agree to imprison two million people?’ another will whisper. The answers will only make their weeping louder.
Richard Falk discusses critical Middle East topics, including the legality of Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem, Iran and Trump’s “special relationships” with Israel and Saudi Arabia, the future of Syria, and hope for justice in Israel-Palestine.