Israel to Formally Be Defined as State of the Jewish People? Christians Debate Affect on Minorities
Some minority Christians in Israel have expressed concern for the proposed "Jewish State" bill that is set to define the country as the "nation-state of the Jewish people." Other commentators have said, however, that it would be incorrect to assume the bill will infringe on the rights of minorities, and instead can be seen as a move to back Israel's right to exist.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the bill seeks to define Israel as "the nation-state of the Jewish people" and reinforce the use of "Hatikva" as the national anthem, and the use of the Hebrew calendar.
While some of the nation's Christians, who make up only two percent of the population, have reportedly expressed concern for the rights of religious minorities in the country, other voices have said it is unlikely that the bill would pose such dangers.
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Dr. Mitch Glaser, president of Messianic Jewish group Chosen People Ministries in New York, told The Christian Post via email on Thursday that "Israel is a democracy committed to the safety and well-being of all her citizens, and it would be ill-advised to assume this bill will infringe on the rights of non-Jewish citizens of Israel."
Glaser, who leads one of the oldest and largest Messianic ministries in the world, told CP that Arab and Christian Israeli people are able to enjoy economic, political and religious freedom "far above any other country in the Middle East."
"American Evangelicals should support and pray for Israel's leaders to continue protecting these freedoms within the Jewish State," he said. "We must also pray for the peace of Jerusalem, because it is only when the Prince of Peace returns that real peace and restoration will come to the region."
Legal expert Alan Dershowitz has added that while the Jewish State bill may not have been necessary, it could be seen as a response to the Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist.
Some critics of the bill include Israeli-Arab Christian MK Hanna Swaid, who argued that the bill "formalizes and enshrines the status of Arabs as second class citizens."
"For this purpose, there is no difference between Christian, Muslim and Druse," Swaid added. "The bill does not speak about equality for Arab citizens in the State of Israel. In my homeland I deserve rights."
Swaid claimed that Christians are against the bill because it treats them "just like Arabs."
"It is a provocative bill. It is not required, it is not needed; it insults the minorities in Israel. No one aims to be a second class citizen, and this bill completely makes them second class citizens," he said.
Father Gabriel Naddaf, a priest from Nazareth, expressed his support for the bill, however, and said that it is important for Israel to stay true to its founding purpose by officially defining itself as Jewish.
"The minority group is claiming that Israel is a multinational country," Naddaf said. "Even the fundamental laws, which the Supreme Court turned into 'constitution' against all practicality known in the world, where it is mentioned that Israel is a Jewish and democratic county, were interpreted in a way that gives a clear supremacy to the democratic aspect over the Jewish aspect. The bill is meant to restore the balance that was broken in an attempt to erase the 'Jewishness' of the state."
Back in early November, the Israeli cabinet approved a separate bill aimed at easing the process of conversation to Judaism. The new law is set to allow the chief rabbi of each city in Israel to form and head a conversion court, which advocates said could encourage hundreds of thousands of Israelis to join Judaism.
