i’m not one who feels loyalty to states in general. i do not feel loyalty to my country, the united states, for example. i would never serve in its imperial army and i left my country, in large part, so i would not have to pay taxes there any more because this means supporting its imperialism and its massacres around the planet. but imagine if the united states decided to announce itself to be a white christian state and all those non-white christians had to pledge allegiance to that sort of state. of course, the united states, like the zionist entity, is a colonial regime and therefore american indians are put into this position. this is the position that palestinians are being put into:
The bill is one of several similar bills presented by right-wing members of Knesset demanding racist laws that denies the very existence of the Arabs and Palestinians in their homeland.
The bill wants all Israeli citizens, including Arabs and Palestinians, to recognize Israel as a “Jewish Democratic State”.
Any act or publication that denies Israel’s “identity” as a Jewish State would be considered as an issue that would cause “acts of hatred and disloyalty”.
The bill was approved by 47 members of Knesset, while 34 voted against it, and Knesset spokesperson, Reuven Rivlin, from the Likud party, abstained.
The controversial bill was first presented by extremist right wing member of Knesset, Zevulun Orlev, of the Bayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home) party.
The new bill needs to pass three more votes at the Knesset and a committee review before it becomes a law, Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported.
Orlev proposed this law linking it to former member of Knesset, Azmi Bishara, who resigned from the Knesset and left the country in 2007.
Bishara is facing charges of what Israel calls “assisting the enemy” because he visited Lebanon and Syria.
Meanwhile, member of Knesset Haim Oron of the Meretz party, strongly denounced the bill and said that it is considered as “creating thought police”.
On Sunday, the Knesset passed a bill outlawing marking the Nakba, which is when the Palestinians were forced out of their homeland so that Israeli can be created.
The bill was denounced by Naomi Chazan, head of the New Israeli Fund. He said that this bill crushes the feelings of Palestinians who lost their lands, and harms the efforts to achieve co-existence.
Several Civil Rights organizations in Israel said that such a bill could harm the rights of Arab citizens.
Furthermore, a bill introduced this week by Israel’s Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, of the extremist Yisrael Beiteinu Party, required the Arabs to pledge loyalty to Israel as a Jewish State before they can obtain identity cards and citizenship.
the arab association for human rights in 1948 palestine published a briefing on the legislation and you can download an english-language version of the bill by clicking on this link. palestinian knesset member jamal zahalka sees the new racist law as an attempt at thought policing palestinians:
Zahalka said that any person who demands democracy and equality would be punished and imprisoned, and that this means dozens of Jewish and Arabs university lecturers, intellectuals and politicians who propose a bi-national state or a state for all of its citizens would be punished and imprisoned.
He also said that what this law means is that the state “would have to form a police unit that targets the thoughts of the residents, the intellectuals, and imprison them for having ideas and thoughts that are not coherent with the State’s policies.
Zahalka also said that no matter what laws are passed, the Arabs and progressive movements in Israel will not accept a Jewish State that is based on Zionism, and would always reject Zionism regardless of the price they would have to pay.
“You are presenting racist laws, day by day, your government is sick with delusions and racism”, Zahalka added.
His statements were met with anger by right wing members of the Knesset who shouted at him and said “if you don’t like our laws, then get out of here, and leave the country”.
He responded by saying “we are the natives of this land, you are the immigrants and we will remain in this country like a fork in your throats”.
Right wing MK’s then started insulting Zahalka and uttered dirty words against him, before the Knesset head forced him out and ignored the racist statements of right wing MK’s.
After he was forced out of the Knesset hall, Zahalka said that the atmosphere at the Knesset is poisoned with racism, and added that this law is a challenge to democracy and a challenge to Israel as a state for all of its citizens.
He added that Israel regards itself as the state of the Jewish people, which places the Arabs as an unwanted ethnicity.
meanwhile another law is underway in the racist fascist zionist entity. and i’m pretty sure that this would fall under the rubric of cultural genocide, too, given the way that people’s history and culture are interconnected. it seems that the new bill that would make it a crime to mourn the dispossession of palestine. imagine, just imagine, for one moment what would happen if germany made it illegal to mourn the nazi holocaust. you get the picture. here is the news item:
‘Nakba law’ not alone: The Knesset on Wednesday morning approved in a preliminary reading a bill introducing one year in prison for anyone speaking against Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state, should the call contain a reasonable possibility “that it may lead to acts of hatred, scorn or lack of loyalty to the State or its government authorities or law systems which have been established legally.”
Forty-seven Knesset members voted in favor of the motion, 34 voted against it, and one MK abstained. The bill was initiated by MK Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi), chairman of the Knesset’s Education Committee.
Following the vote, a harsh argument erupted between MKs Jamal Zahalka (Balad) and Arie Eldad (National Union), leading to Zahalka’s removal from the auditorium.
A heated discussion erupted at the Knesset before the vote. Meretz Chairman Chaim Oron slammed the government, saying, “Have you lost your confidence in the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state? This crazy government – what exactly are you doing? Thought Police? Have you lost it?
“Israel’s citizens have the right to say that they believe Jewish and democratic is an incorrect wording. I think they are wrong, but what does this have to do with the criminals area? Enough with this story.” MK Orlev replied, “You used very shallow demagogy.”
‘You want to punish people for thinking?’
MK Zahalka said before the vote, “Many intellectuals in the academia who talk about a country belonging to all its citizens belong in prison, according to MK Orlev. Arab and Jewish leaders who seek real democracy in Israel also belong in jail, according to Orlev… He wants to put anyone who doesn’t agree with him in jail.
“This is the proposal: Whoever says ‘death to the Arabs’ should not be put in prison, but whoever says ‘a country of all its citizens’ should not be put in prison. This is a crazy law aimed at managing the political discourse according to laws.”
Knesset Member Ronnie Bar-On (Kadima) said that his movement opposed the bill in principle for the simple reason that “a democratic Jewish state is performed, not talked about. We want to do this, and you with your remarks are thwarting the matter once and again.
Turning to Orlev, Bar-On asked, “What is there in your proposal that it not covered in Basic Law: The Knesset or in the Penal Law? You want to punish people for speaking? Soon you’ll want to punish people for thinking.”
MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta’al) said in response to the bill, “We will not recognize a Jewish and Zionist Israel despite the draconian law, even if we pay a personal price. This coalition will soon propose a low banning ‘expressing shock over the occupation’ and calling for a penalty of five years in prison for anyone expressing such shock.”
al jazeera’s “inside story” with kamahl santamaria focused on this subject the other night. it features mohammad darawshe, a palestinian from 1948 palestine, zionist terrorist colonist paul eidelberg, and independent mp from england claire short. short and darawshe make some good points. eidelberg offers up the same lies and zionist propaganda and is not satisfied enough with finding ways to silence palestinians by criminalizing their own history and identity, but also feels the need to do so live on tv by silencing darawshe:
interestingly, at one point santamaria asks eidelberg about the zionist entity’s declaration of independence which states:
“I commit to being loyal to the state of Israel as a Jewish, democratic and Zionist state, to its symbols and values and to serve the country as needed through military service or an alternative service as decided by law.”
eidelberg gets one thing right when he says, in response to questioning about the above-quoted document: he says that this statement is pretty much null and void because it is not possible to have a state for all its citizens and be a jewish state. exactly. claire short makes a great point about the british empire and the citizens of the empire who opposed british colonial rule and used resistance to do so and yet remained citizens. her example is much better than eidelberg who tries to compare this to the united states, which doesn’t work with his analogies–it only works when you think of american indians having to pledge such a loyalty oath or deny their history of genocide and colonialism.
body on the line 