Israel’s new homeland law is reeking of racism, many liken it to ‘apartheid’

The consequences and controversies generated after the Jewish Nation State Bill passed in July this year are gaining momentum with every passing day. Israel’s recent move to demolish the Bedouins’ Khan al-Ahmar village by October 1 in the occupied West Bank had drawn international concern.

Amid worldwide pressure from the United Nations and the European Union member states, the Benjamin Netanyahu government put a temporary hold on plans to evacuate and raze it. Despite foreign pressure, Israel has been imposing one decision after another, passing new bills on its way to becoming a full-fledged Jewish state. However, this time around, foreign pressure escalated after the International Criminal Court prosecutor termed the Khan al-Ahmar population transfers in the occupied territories as war crimes. Though it offered temporary relief for the Bedouin population, the statement by the Israeli PM that “the demolition would not be delayed indefinitely” remains a big challenge for international organisations.

The Nation State Bill, which was passed after a stormy debate in the Knesset, officially defines Israel as the national homeland for the Jewish people and asserts that “the realisation of the right to national self-determination is unique to the Jewish citizen”. The law also enshrines Jerusalem as the capital and Hebrew as its state language, leaving Arabic with a mere special status.

After the new law comes into effect, the state will provide special safety for Jewish people in trouble, or to protect their identity. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed this bill as “historic”, it has been termed “apartheid” by Arab lawmakers. It is true that the bill could get the support of 62 members of the Knesset, but the fact cannot be denied that the new law is tailormade for Jewish supremacy, leaving Arabs as second-class citizens. This decision has sparked outrage not only from the Arab community in Israel, but has also provoked concerns from the international community.

The European Union, the Muslim world and all Arab nations collectively have opposed this bill, as it leads to discrimination against Arabs and other minorities. Condemning this development, the Turkish government termed it as “disregarding to the Palestinian citizen in Israel as it gives right to self determination only to the Jewish people”. Thus, ignoring the 21 per cent of Arabs in the country, the new law is also against the spirit of democratic Israel which promises to treat all its citizens with equal political and social rights. Equality and minority rights were the integral parts of Israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948, stating that Israel “will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture”. But Mr Netanyahu’s new law will only protect the rights of Jews, leaving out all other communities. It is unfortunate that the democratically enforced
law is being used to abuse the largest minority group.

It is important to note that Israelis and Palestinians have been going at each other for almost seven decades. Hence, the new legislation would definitely complicate the ongoing conflict between these two people. It is clear that the right-wing government under Mr Netanyahu has taken a series of non-rational and non-constitutional decisions since it came into power. These decisions have adversely impacted the Arab countries. It is equally important to note that US President Donald Trump has always been supportive of Israel. In December last year, the US President announced the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Though it was rejected by a majority of world leaders and the United Nations Security Council, that motion was vetoed by the United States. In May this year, the Trump administration officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem. This decision of the US also sparked deadly protests and worldwide criticism. Getting military, financial and political support from the US, Israel has remained its favourite among all other nations. The US  used its veto power 42 times of a total 83 with respect to resolutions related to Israel.

Statistics say that between 1991 and 2011, out of 24 vetoes in total, 15 were used to protect Israel alone. So, the stand of the US in matters related to Palestine and Israel is very clear. After winning 24 per cent of the Jewish votes in the US election, President Trump has fulfilled his campaign pledge and is upending the status quo in West Asia. David Friedman, who supports the West Bank settlement construction, was appointed as the US ambassador to Israel. Many of the President’s key advisers, including his son-in law Jared Kushner, are Jewish. They have been shaping policies favouring Israeli interests. The US government has already announced a funding cut for the Palestinian authorities, while it continues to pay the salaries of prisoners and the families of those killed by Israel. After the US withdrew hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, a total of 250 employees in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip are expected to lose their jobs.

As the Palestine-Israel crisis is a critical and sensitive one, former US Presidents like Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama are staying neutral. Moving the embassy to Jerusalem has been promised repeatedly by all of them, but having realised its complexity, they had opted to escape from this promise. As Israelis and Palestinians have been denying each other’s claims in the city, it remained at the centre of controversy for decades.

The Temple Mount to Jews and Haram al Sharif to Arabs are both key religious identities of the city. The  Al Aqsa Mosque is the third-holiest site for Islam. The areas of Jerusalem annexed by Israel in the 1967 war have been points of conflict since then. Palestinians view East Jerusalem as an occupied territory, and have been claiming it for their capital. Acts like banning Palestinian entry into the mosque, firing teargas shells and stun grenades at worshippers, and raids on the mosque by the Israeli forces have become routine.

The UN Security Council’s Resolution 2334, which concerns Israeli settlements in “Palestinian territories occupied since 1967”, states  that the Israeli settlements are a violation of international law. Violating such regulations by top international organisations, Israel passed a new Settlement Bill last year, which legalises Israeli settlement homes on private Palestinian land in the West Bank.

While it is true that the Palestinian movement has of late weakened, many West Asian countries seem concerned about it. But their efforts could not bring real change on the ground. Iran, Turkey and others have registered their protests on every possible occasion. Many worldwide conferences and seminars have been organised to show solidarity with the Palestinians, but the unmatched leadership of Yasser Arafat is missing. There was a time when this movement had the support of leaders like  Gamal Abdel Nasser, Zhou  Enlai, Marshal Tito,  Kwame Nkrumah and India’s Jawaharlal Nehru. It is significant to mention that India was the first non-Arab country to recognise and establish diplomatic relations with Palestine. As far as the solution to this crisis is concerned, most world leaders stand in solidarity with the Palestinians and support the two-nation agenda. It is therefore high time for the United Nations and other world forums to check the forceful and arbitrary acts of Israel, and establish peace in the region.  The solution to this long-pending issue will not only bring peace in the Israeli and Palestinian lands, but also provide justice to millions of people stranded in this quagmire.

The writer is a senior leader of the Janata Dal (United)