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Last update - 20:03 30/05/2009
Israeli Arab committee slams 'racist, fascist' bills
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Nakba, loyalty oath 

The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee has scheduled an emergency meeting on Saturday in light of recent law proposals submitted by right wing Knesset members, in particular a bill proposing to outlaw the marking of the Nakba, or catastrophe, on Israel's Independence Day.

The Nakba is observed by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians who mourn the dispersal of hundreds of thousands of Arabs who were forced to leave their homes during the 1948 War of Independence.

Palestinian refugees around the world and Israel's Arab citizens mark the Nakba on May 15, the day after the British mandate over Palestine ended in 1948. Nakba Day is often observed by the Arab population in Israel with marches through destroyed villages.
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Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's ultranationalist party Yisrael Beiteinu has proposed legislation for a ban on the practice and a jail term of up to three years for violators.

Just this last Wednesday, the Knesset plenum gave initial approval to a bill that would make it a crime to publicly deny Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, punishable by a sentence of up to a year in prison.

The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee voiced its harshest criticism over the recent spate of bills it described as "racist and fascist proposals aimed against the Arab public in Israel, and there is no doubt that these proposals must be dealt with."

A third bill that will likely be brought before the ministerial legislative committee on Sunday for a vote is a proposal to require anyone seeking Israeli citizenship to take an oath of loyalty to Israel, renouncing loyalty to all other nations. This bill, proposed by Yisrael Beiteinu's MK David Rotem, requires that "those seeking citizenship will be required to declare commitment to be loyal to the state of Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state, to its symbols and its values and to serve the state as required in military service or an alternative service."

MK Rotem wrote in the explanation accompanying the bill that "during recent years, it has emerged that citizens of the state of Israel are not loyal to the state, its symbols or values, and they avoid serving in the military. This bill aims to link loyalty to the state, its symbols and values, and mandatory military service, to being a citizen of Israel."

More bills in the same spirit are in the works, including a proposed amendment to a basic law that would add to the current oath taken by Knesset members the words "as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state, and to its symbols and values." A similar amendment seeks to add these words to the oath taken by ministers as well.

Related articles:
  • Knesset okays initial bill to outlaw denial of 'Jewish state'
  • Lieberman's party to seek cabinet okay for loyalty oath
  • Ministers okay bill banning Nakba Day
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      1.   Siege upon own population 22:33  |  Mark B. 28/05/09
      2.   They`ll go to court and win. So what was the point? 22:36  |  Simha 28/05/09
      3.   Bills simply represent a normalisation .. 22:45  |  redbourn 28/05/09
      4.   Secular Turkey is more Democratic than Israel 22:45  |  Antonio da Silva 28/05/09
      5.   Not true 22:58  |  William Burns 28/05/09
      6.   Zionism is not Idolatry? 22:59  |  tbart 28/05/09
      7.   Why don`t Israeli arabs moves to PA if Israel chooses NO to nakba 23:09  |  JP 28/05/09
      8.   Is there a lawyer in the house? 23:10  |  Theodor Feibel 28/05/09
      9.   Antonio mane da silva 23:10  |  JP 28/05/09
      10.   Israeli Arab committee slams `racist, fascist` bills 23:14  |  Sam 28/05/09
      11.   weather in Saudi arabi 23:17  |  israeli backer 28/05/09
      12.   #3 redbourn, in abnormal or a-typical circumstances 23:20  |  Mark B. 28/05/09
      13.   Need new laws 23:21  |  Mark Featherhead 28/05/09
      14.   Israeli Arabs 23:23  |  Moshe Doron 28/05/09
      15.   Naqba 23:23  |  Rob 28/05/09
      16.   No more Arabs in Israel 23:25  |  Robert Rowley 28/05/09
      17.   Israeli Arabs 23:28  |  Moshe Doron 28/05/09
      18.   Of course they are; thats how you know its hitting on the truth 23:30  |  Judean 28/05/09
      19.   Stupid, foolish and completely non-productive 23:33  |  Itzik 28/05/09
      20.   why tolerate infidels ??? 23:34  |  Akiva P 28/05/09
      21.   I pledge alegance to the flag.. 23:36  |  Canadian 28/05/09
      22.   About racism 23:41  |  Antonio Carvalho 28/05/09
      23.   All racist nations start like this 23:44  |  David 28/05/09
      24.   Poor Israel 23:56  |  Patrick A.Hammel 28/05/09
      25.   Au Contraire Redbourn 00:00  |  Mark of Lewiston 29/05/09
      26.   No different from Pledge of Allegiance 00:01  |  Gili 29/05/09
      27.   Re:Bills simply represent a normalisation.. 00:02  |  American 29/05/09
      28.   what`s fair? 00:06  |  Kofi 29/05/09
      29.   Israel is a Jewish homeland. If Arabs can`t stand that, LEAVE! 00:17  |  Steve Randolph 29/05/09
      30.   why should there be different rules for Israeli-Arabs? 00:17  |  Observer 29/05/09
      31.   Antonio da Silva, no.4: It`s not a big deal, except to 00:18  |  Steve Randolph 29/05/09
      32.   Mark and Antonio 00:38  |  Ehud 29/05/09
      33.   #4 Turkey is not secular, its a moslem fanatic state 00:43  |  Doron Katz 29/05/09
      34.   Folloowing the loss at the voting boot Haaretz `s censorship 00:49  |  17 29/05/09
      35.   Fascism, indeed! 00:50  |  RG 29/05/09
      36.   #4 you are ignorant. Turkey outlaws many comments about Armenians 00:52  |  McQueen 29/05/09
      37.   usurped land 00:53  |  Resistant 29/05/09
      38.   Israeli Arab Committee 00:56  |  Brad 29/05/09
      39.   redbourn -Bills simply represent a normalisation ..for Israel & 01:02  |  American in NY 29/05/09
      40.   Some bills might hurt Israel ecomoney 01:07  |  Jason Belkin 29/05/09
      41.   Reciprocity 01:29  |  Arie 29/05/09
      42.   I`m israeli arab and have no problem with oath 01:35  |  Rami of Nazareth 29/05/09
      43.   Another milestone on the way to building a judeo fascist state 01:36  |  Ben Alofs 29/05/09
      44.   Ideal opportunity for mass civil disobedience 01:45  |  KenB 29/05/09
      45.   Antonio Silverman ,Turkey is also more democratic than Argentina 02:23  |  Absolute Sweden 29/05/09
      46.   End to US-Israeli dual citizenship 02:23  |  binny 29/05/09
      47.   Be Alofs ,"God save the Queen" proof GB `s anglican fascist state 02:47  |  Absolute Sweden 29/05/09
      48.   Aril 1961 - Evian 02:57  |  Albert Halimi 29/05/09
      49.   Ben Alofs - could you know less about Israel? 03:07  |  ZISD 29/05/09
      50.   American Jews need to take an oath of allegiance to the U.S.A. 03:11  |  Martha Washington 29/05/09
      51.   They should get the message 03:23  |  Mark Lincoln 29/05/09
      52.   Jewish State 03:26  |  joe cash 29/05/09
      53.   #17, lol prepare for a mass yerida then 03:28  |  Yisrael 29/05/09
      54.   Only if you are seeking Israeli citizenship 04:35  |  Arnold 29/05/09
      55.   Move to a better neighborhood 04:45  |  Michael 29/05/09
      56.   #33 civil disobedience 04:53  |  Devorah 29/05/09
      57.   Da silva, Turkey is Turkey Israel is Israel 06:59  |  cachanilla 29/05/09
      58.   New Law proposal silly but demonstrates important issue 07:02  |  Baruch Gold 29/05/09
      59.   When every dual-citizenship israeli gets questioned about 07:12  |  Kris Lazar 29/05/09
      60.   #39 Rami, #34 Resistant, #47 Martha 07:43  |  Solomon 29/05/09
      61.   #39, Rami has it right 07:43  |  American Jew 29/05/09
      62.   thank you Rami 08:05  |  Observer 29/05/09
      63.   # 11 Israeli Arabs 08:19  |  Saad 29/05/09
      64.   tactless tactics 08:30  |  sweisJerusalem 29/05/09
      65.   Give them a bus ticket for Gaza or Naplouse 09:02  |  maurice 29/05/09
      66.   Citizinship serves Israel more than the Palestinians 09:13  |  GalileeHero 29/05/09
      67.   For the bill!! 09:32  |  Tarzan 29/05/09
      68.   To Michael #52 09:37  |  Lasmarch 29/05/09
      69.   Definitely unique 09:43  |  Colin Wright 29/05/09
      70.   binny 43 10:15  |  potobac 29/05/09
      71.   #16 Itzik Holon - Stop the Rot 10:16  |  Makevet 29/05/09
      72.   shout out 10:24  |  just me 29/05/09
      73.   Racist bill 10:28  |  Renny 29/05/09
      74.   Racits laws 11:17  |  Eddy 29/05/09
      75.   Honest Israelis will have to Suffer yet Again for their Democracy 12:30  |  Steve Grumman 29/05/09
      76.   Wrong date? By late `47 and under the eyes of the Brits who did.. 12:32  |  Tcherkessi 29/05/09
      77.   The palestinians & Israeli need better leaders 12:44  |  anyone 29/05/09
      78.   Just Wondering about Blowback-Unintended Consequences 17:45  |  Mickle 29/05/09
      79.   Banned in Jordan too 20:06  |  nadav 29/05/09
      80.   what ever 20:58  |  tarzan 29/05/09
      81.   To Saad.....Those had no home now they have 00:18  |  Antonio da Silva 30/05/09
      82.   Racist bills 01:31  |  WHG 30/05/09
      83.   Free speech 02:02  |  Anthony Garringer 30/05/09
      84.   simha 2 02:15  |  potobac 30/05/09
      85.   Renouncing allegiance to another country 05:46  |  Janice 30/05/09
      86.   #3 Redbourn and a "normal country" 05:52  |  Janice 30/05/09
      87.   Moshe from Toronto 05:59  |  Janice 30/05/09
      88.   Ben Alofs- Ron of Nazareth 06:05  |  arik 30/05/09
      89.   # 28 Kofi 06:06  |  Janice 30/05/09
      90.   `Racist, fascist bills 06:45  |  Charles 30/05/09
      91.   #88 Arik & U.S. "loyalty oaths" 08:10  |  Janice 30/05/09
      92.   Banning the Nakba... 11:02  |  Bob Obla 30/05/09
      93.   There should be a no confidence vote in the Israeli leadership 13:14  |  Dutch 30/05/09
      94.   Janice 18:35  |  arik 30/05/09
      95.   Celebrating a sad day...it`s okay 18:49  |  Arnold 30/05/09
      96.   I am just shocked to death Amira Hass was detained 20:17  |  Dutch 30/05/09
      97.   palestinians are more democratic then israel 20:47  |  muslims-- 30/05/09
      98.   This bill unfolds the arabs! 22:00  |  tarzan 30/05/09
      99.   Fascism is the Solution 06:05  |  Ninety Nine 31/05/09
      100.   LOOK AROUND 16:48  |  The Teacher/Instruct 31/05/09
      101.   arabs and ciztienship 22:38  |  EW 31/05/09
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