In response to the letter sent by President Reuven Rivlin, in which he expresses opposition to clause 7B in the Nationality Law, and the objections by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, efforts are underway to amend the bill, which seeks to enshrine into law the fact that Israel is the Jewish State.

Both of the above oppose the clause with permits maintaining exclusively Jewish communities in Israel. Mandelblit explains that such a policy is likely to lead to Jews being excluded from communities in the Diaspora.

MK (Bayit Yehudi) Betzalel Smotrich explains “the disagreement is simple. “Will the term ‘Jewish State’ have practical significance or not? The innocence of the president of Israel derives from blindness or great moral confusion in relation to Zionism. When entire cities and settlements in the Galil are conquered by the Arabs for purely national reasons, and the Zionist vision of Judaizing the Galil is in danger, the possibility of preserving Jewish settlement is the saving of the Zionist vision. This isn’t discrimination but rather saving the Zionist vision.”

“Anyone who does not sleep well at night with this clause in the Basic Law is not supposed to sleep well at night, even with the Law of Return, and that means that he does not sleep well at night with the Zionist vision of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel,” Smotrich added.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)