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Coalition agrees deal on Nation-State Bill

[ssba]

Israel’s coalition parties reached an agreement on a controversial draft law to exclude minorities from Jewish communities.

The Nation-State Bill will return to the Knesset for its second reading after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Naftali Bennett yesterday agreed a new text. Bennett demanded that the Bill contain a commitment to “Judaise” the Negev and the Galilee (i.e. building communities for Jews only). According to a statement from his office, the two leaders agreed to replace the clause with a new text that says: “The State views the development of Jewish settlement as a national principle and will act to encourage and advance [Jewish communities’] establishment and consolidation.”

The Knesset committee for the Nation-State Bill, chaired by Likud MK Amir Ohana, will discuss the revised language at a meeting today. Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is expected to approve the new text.

Likud Minister Yariv Levin said: “The Nation-State Bill is a very important Bill. It isn’t perfect, but we are witnessing an historic moment in which a basic law contains the essential values that restore the weight of the values of Zionism as the fundamental values of the state and for the first time, fix the ongoing erosion of the status of these principles caused by court rulings.”

Thousands of protestors from opposition parties, progressive Jewish organisations, left-wing NGOs and LGBT activists took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest against the legislation.

MK Yael German of Yesh Atid said: “This is a Bill whose essence is to cause rift, to divide and to exclude. No rephrasing of the section will cover up the government’s disgrace, which is turning its back on the Declaration of Independence and refuses to recognise the values of democracy and equality in the Nation-State Bill.”

If passed, the Bill would become a “Basic Law” with special status in Israel’s constitution.