EDITORIAL / Netanyahu must rein in Lieberman's racist proposals

[Behind the Aegis]

Yisrael Beiteinu's racist campaign against the country's Arab citizens has shifted from the election billboards to the Knesset and cabinet room. Right-wing Knesset members have drafted a series of laws to suppress the Arab community's freedom of expression and right to protest. These bills put at the top of the agenda the need to halt racism, ensure civil rights and advance equality as prescribed by the Declaration of Independence.

Three legislative initiatives are on the docket. One mandates a three-year prison sentence for anyone who observes what the Palestinians call the Nakba - the events of 1948. This bill was approved by Ministerial Committee for Legislation. The second dictates one year in prison for anyone who expresses in writing "a statement that denies the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state." This bill passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset. Finally, there is a proposal to require anyone who receives Israeli citizenship to sign a loyalty oath and perform military service, or some form of public service. This draft law will be submitted today to the Ministerial Committee for Legislation.

The sanitized language in these bills cannot conceal their true objective: the institutionalization and deepening of discrimination against Arab citizens. They stain Israeli democracy, exacerbate the rifts in society and intensify the sense of ostracism and oppression of the Arab community in its relations with the state. These bills highlight Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's irresponsibility in putting law enforcement and legislation in the hands of Avigdor Lieberman, who is using the system to further his discredited ideology.

Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman is largely responsible for advancing these bills; he heads the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. His vote tipped the balance and allowed for the passage of the "Nakba law," and today his vote will be put to the test in the discussions over the "loyalty law." An experienced jurist like Neeman understands very well the significance of these proposals. His decision to expedite the deliberations on the bills and his explicit support for the Nakba law reveal him to be an extreme right-winger who seeks to appease his political patron, Lieberman.

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[LeftishBrit]

1. Good article

'It is incumbent on the justice minister to demonstrate loyalty to the basic values of democracy and to ensure civil rights and equality before the law, rather than promote illegitimate legislation. It is the prime minister's duty to rein in the racist activism of Lieberman and Neeman, and to ensure that these damaging proposals are shelved, never to be passed.'

Fully agree! It's a very worrying situation.