Labor MKs propose Nation State Law amendment after Majdal Shams attack

In the wake of the attack on the northern Druze village Majdal Shams on Saturday, the Democrats (former Labor) Party’s four Members of Knesset proposed on Sunday a bill to amend a Basic Law that Israel’s Druze community considered discriminatory.

The proposal is to add several provisions to the Basic Law: Israel – the Nation State of the Jewish People, that would emphasize elements of equality, including a clause that says that the law will be enacted “in the spirit of the values in Israel’s declaration of independence”; a clause that says that the government will act to develop the land “for the benefit of all its civilians and residents”; and an amendment to make Arabic an official state language, as opposed to a language with “special status.”

The law, which passed in 2018, angered Israel’s Druze community, who argued that it emphasized Israel’s Jewish character and excluded recognition and contributions of minority groups.

“The government of Israel can no longer ignore the shared fate with our Druze, Circassian, and Bedouin brothers and sisters, and everyone who is a citizen of the country,” the MKs said in a statement.

“Many paid with their lives since October 7, others helped people who escaped from the Nova festival and [helped] the many wounded, our moral and ethical obligation is to recognize them as equal citizens in the state of Israel. The rehabilitation and restoration of Israeli society after bringing down the government will also include amending the National State Law in the spirit of the original values of Zionism,” the MKs said.

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv and others have brought similar bills forward several times since the original law was passed in 2018, but none passed and the law remained in its original form.

The end of summer session

The proposal came as the Knesset plenum on Sunday wrapped up its summer session and headed to a three-month recess. The Knesset’s committees will continue to run during the recess, albeit less frequently than when the Knesset is in session. In addition, the government or the majority of Knesset members can enact a procedure to reconvene the plenum several times throughout the recess. This may occur in the coming weeks, as the coalition may wish to pass certain measures connected to the war, or other sectoral bills that are of special importance to one of the coalition’s parties.