New Israeli law inflames Arabs
TEL AVIV: Thousands of protesters rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday against Israel’s new law declaring it the nation-state of the Jewish people, legislation that has angered the country’s Arab minority and drawn criticism abroad.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the law, which says only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country and downgrades Arabic from an official language, saying it is necessary in order to fend off Palestinian challenges to Jewish self-determination.
The protesters, mostly Israeli Arabs, waved Palestinian flags and held up signs that read “equality” in Arabic and Hebrew.
“The law legitimises racism,” said Laila al-Sana, 19, from a Bed- ouin village in Negev desert.
“It’s very important to show we are here to resist,” she said.
Israel’s Arab population comprises mainly descendants of the Palestinians who remained on their land after the 1948 war at the time of the creation of the modern state of Israel.
Many of Israel’s Arab citizens also identify as Palestinian. They make up about a fifth of the state’s 9 million people. Israeli law grants them full equal rights, but many say they face discrimination and are treated as second-class citizens.
“When I heard about the law I felt I should defend the land of my ancestors,” said Sheikha Dabbah, 68, at the rally. – Reuters