Israeli parliament adopts controversial law on 'Israel as a Jewish state'

TEL AVIV, (Patria) - The Israeli parliament voted on a controversial law that requires Israel to be defined exclusively as the “national state of the Jewish people”, local media reported, as cited by Al Jazeera.

The law, passed by 62 votes to 55, defined Hebrew as the national language and defined the establishment of Jewish communities as a national interest.

On Monday, a parliamentary committee approved the final version of the law. This is the fastest-prepared bill since the Israeli cabinet confirmed the proposal in March, meaning that after yesterday's vote, and if it passes the second and third readings, it will be confirmed as law.

By confirming the new law, which carries much greater weight than ordinary legislation, it will marginalize 1.8 million Palestinians with Israeli citizenship and strip Israel of its “democratic” component, as critics warn.

Palestinian members of the Israeli parliament rejected the law, calling it a “flag of Zionist legislation”.

Before the vote, Aida Touma-Suleima, a member of the Israeli parliament, said in a video posted on her Facebook profile: “Now that we have started discussing the Jewish state law in the Knesset, the Zionist far-right will gain legitimacy for the apartheid of the Israeli regime”.

Palestinian Knesset member Ahmad Tibi said something similar, warning of the “dangerous” nature of the law.

- The national law is dangerous. It treats the remnants of what we call “democracy”. It targets the Arab minority in Israel - Tibi said.