Israeli PM Pushes Constitutional Law on Jewish Exclusivity

[Jefferson23]

Fearing growing movement on symbolic and practical return of Palestinian refugees, Israeli PM pushes to reassert Israel's Jewish exclusive nature

May 6, 14

Precis

Days before Israel marked its 66th anniversary, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he intends to pursue a new law that will further enshrine Israel as a Jewish State of the Jewish nation. This Basic Law was announced in the midst of a growing debate over the symbolic, practical, and realistic return of the Palestinian refugees, displaced by Israel in 1948 when the state was created. The Real News' Lia Tarachansky profiles such projects, including a fictional anthology by the Israeli group Zochrot where short stories tell of the day after a future return. She also speaks to Nizar Ashqar, whose great great grandfather established the village of Iqrith on the Lebanese-Israeli border, to which refugees simply returned in a form of protest and a Bethlehem-based architectural project called Decolonizing Palestine. If the Palestinian refugees return Israel may no longer have a Jewish majority. To ensure Jewish control over Israel, its legislation already has many laws that discriminate between Jews and non-Jews the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they are not enough.

Transcript

Israeli PM Pushes Constitutional Law on Jewish ExclusivityLIA TARACHANSKY, PRODUCER: [inaud.] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced during a speech at the Independence Hall that he intends to pursue a new law that will enshrine Israel as a Jewish state into the countries legislation. The announcement came only four days before Israel marks its 66th Independence Day.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (SUBTITLED TRANSL.): I intend to pursue a new basic law that will guarantee the legislation of Israel as the state of the Jewish nation.

TARACHANSKY: Israel doesn't have a Constitution. Instead, its Declaration of Independence serves as a sort of vague outline. It reads:

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