German Chancellor Angela Merkel's annual press conference
Germany’s government on Friday was silent on Israel’s recently approved “Jewish nation-state” law.
During her annual news conference on Friday, Chancellor Angela Merkel declined to comment on the controversial law, which has been widely criticized by rights groups.
“I don’t want to interfere with the internal affairs of Israel,” Merkel said when asked her opinion of the law, but underlined that she was closely following the debate.
Turkey on Thursday slammed a new Jewish nation-state law passed by Israel's Knesset, saying it "disregards" norms of universal law. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said: “The Jewish nation-state law passed by the Israeli parliament today disregards norms of universal law and ignores the rights of Palestinians.”"The international community must also react to the law, which aims to justify the unlawful occupation of Palestine by the Israeli government and remove the possibility of a two-state solution," it added.EU expresses concern over Israel's Jewish nation-state lawIsrael passed the "nation-state" law earlier on Thursday after months of political argument by a vote of 62 to 55 in a tumultuous Knesset session in which Arab lawmakers slammed what they described as “Israeli racism against the Arab minority.”The law stipulates that "Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it".It also strips Arabic of its designation as an official language alongside Hebrew, downgrading it to a "special status" that enables its continued use within Israeli institutions.142 Palestinians martyred since Gaza rallies beganIsrael adopts divisive Jewish nation-state law
Turkey slams Israel's 'Jewish nation-state' law
The European Union on Thursday said it was concerned about a new Israeli law which declares that only Jews have the right of self determination, and said it would complicate a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.Israel passed the "nation-state" law earlier on Thursday after months of political argument. It was sharply criticised by the country's Arab minority, who called it racist and verging on apartheid."We are concerned, we have expressed this concern and we will continue to engage with Israeli authorities in this context," a spokeswoman for EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini told a news briefing.142 Palestinians martyred since Gaza rallies began"We've been very clear when it comes to the two-state solution, we believe it is the only way forward and any step that would further complicate or prevent this solution of becoming a reality should be avoided," she said.The law stipulates that "Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it".It also strips Arabic of its designation as an official language alongside Hebrew, downgrading it to a "special status" that enables its continued use within Israeli institutions.Israel adopts divisive Jewish nation-state lawIsrael's Arabs number some 1.8 million, about 20 percent of the 9 million population.The two-state solution envisaged under an international peace framework, in which Palestinians living in Gaza and the occupied West Bank would gain their own state, is already looking like a dim prospect.Peace talks have been stalemated for several years and Israeli settlements in the occupied lands have expanded, despite condemnation from the EU and other bodies.Video: Turkish aid agency worker sentenced to 9 years in Israeli prison
EU expresses concern over Israel's Jewish nation-state law
“I strongly believe in the right of existence of a Jewish democratic state. Besides, together with a viable Palestinian state. But unfortunately we have only been able to make little progress on that and are still working on it,” she said.
The chancellor also underlined the importance of “protecting minorities” in a democracy, referring to the debate in Israel on the controversial law.
Merkel has been a strong supporter of Israel and pursued policies meant to deepen ties between the two states. She has repeatedly underlined Germany’s historical responsibility due to the Holocaust, and said that Israel’s security is "part of Germany’s reason of state."
The Knesset (Israel’s parliament) on Thursday approved a controversial “national law”, which Arab assembly members have blasted as “anti-democratic” and “extremist” in nature.The law was approved -- in both its second and third readings -- by a vote of 62 to 55 in a tumultuous Knesset session in which Arab lawmakers slammed what they described as “Israeli racism against the Arab minority”.According to Israeli daily Haaretz, the law “officially defines Israel as the ‘national homeland of the Jewish people’.”It further states that a “united Jerusalem” is the capital of Israel and that Hebrew is the country's official language, stripping Arabic of its earlier designation as an official language but recognizing its “special status”.Turkey slams Israel's 'Jewish nation-state' lawThe legislation’s most controversial article, however, which would have paved the way for the creation of “Jewish-only” communities in Israel, was removed from the draft before the vote.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the legislation, describing its adoption by the Knesset as a “defining moment for Zionism and Israel”.“One hundred and twenty-two years after [Zionist leader Theodore] Herzl articulated his vision, we have, with this law, determined the basic principle of our existence,” he said.Netanyahu went on to describe Israel as the only country in the Middle East that “respects and honors the rights of its people”.OutrageFollowing the vote, Arab lawmakers tore up copies of the bill while vocally criticizing its adoption, after which they were removed from the assembly.As he was leaving, Arab MP Ahmad Tibi, addressing Netanyahu, yelled: “You are afraid of our Arabic language -- that’s why you passed this racist law!”Netanyahu swiftly retorted: “How dare you talk this way about the only democracy in the Middle East?”Standing outside the assembly, Tibi described the legislation as the “final nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy”.Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh, chairman of the Knesset’s Joint Arab List, released a statement in which he said: “Israel has declared it does not want us here. It has passed a law of Jewish supremacy and told us that we will always be second-class citizens.”EU expresses concern over Israel's Jewish nation-state lawBut, he added, “We refuse to be second-class citizens; we will not allow the majority to humiliate and destroy us.”“Netanyahu's regime is digging a pit of fear, racism and authoritarianism,” Odeh asserted. “But they can never erase us from the homeland.”Speaking to Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, MP Avi Dichter of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, who sponsored the bill, answered the bill’s Arab critics: “The most you can do is live among us as a national minority that enjoys equal individual rights -- but not equality as a national minority.”According to Israel’s official statistics bureau, the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s total population stood at some 8.5 million as of the end of last year, roughly 20 percent of whom were Arab.CondemnationSome Israeli politicians, too, voiced open condemnation of the legislation.Tamar Zandberg, chairwoman of the left-wing Meretz Party, described the law as “shameful”.“Zionism is no longer a national movement, but a forceful nationalism that humiliates the minority and establishes racial supremacy,” she said.The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) likewise condemned the bill and its passage.PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat described it as “the consolidation and extension of [Israel’s] racist colonial legacy based on ethnic cleansing”.“With this law,” Erekat said, “Israel has isolated itself from the international community.”Israel adopts divisive Jewish nation-state lawPLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi, for her part, said in a statement that the national law “gives license to apartheid, discrimination, ethnic cleansing and sectarianism at the expense of the Palestinian people”.She added: “Such racist and prejudicial legislation is illegal by all standards of international law, democracy, humanity, justice, tolerance and inclusion.”Gaza-based resistance movement Hamas, meanwhile, said the legislation’s adoption “officially legitimizes Israeli racism”.“This law targets the existence of Palestinians -- and their historical rights -- in their own land,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.He added: “These extremist laws could not have been adopted [by the Knesset] if the world was not silent in the face of Israel’s ongoing crimes and unlimited U.S. support for Israel’s racist and extremist policies.”
‘Extremist’ Israeli legislation draws storm of outrage
On Thursday, the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) approved the law, which describes Israel as “the nation-state of the Jewish people.”
The legislation further states that a “united Jerusalem” is the capital of Israel and that Hebrew is the country's official language, stripping Arabic of its earlier designation as an official language while recognizing its “special status.”
It was approved by a vote of 62-55 in a tumultuous assembly session in which Arab lawmakers decried what they called “Israeli racism against the Arab minority.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, has hailed the legislation, describing its passage as a “defining moment for Zionism and Israel.”
Turkey has denounced the legislation for trying to strip Palestinians of their rights.