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Middle East Issues

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 October 2019

Tuesday, 15 October 2019

Questions (119)

Niall Collins

Question:

119. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the nation state law that is being implemented in Israel has been discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41750/19]

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Written answers

I have previously expressed my concerns about the passing of the Nation State Law in Israel in the Dáil last year.

Much of the Law is declaratory in nature, and a year on it remains to be seen how much direct impact it will have in practice. However, even on a symbolic level, it risks marginalising Israeli citizens who are not Jewish, in particular the 20% of Israeli citizens who identify as Arab or Palestinian. It sends worrying signals about their status and their right to equality in the country which is their home. Some of these Israelis have expressed fears that the new law, which has the status of a Basic Law, may be a starting point for discrimination against minorities within Israel. There have been public demonstrations in Israel to express concerns about this Law, and concerns about the law have featured in debates during this year's Israeli election campaigns.

The Israeli Declaration of Independence stated that Israel will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex. For those Israelis whose first language is Arabic, the official status which that language has hitherto had is symbolically important of their status as equal citizens, as well as being important from a practical perspective.  This law sets out to privilege Jewish communities, and I know that many Israelis, both Arab and Jewish, have reacted with dismay to this.

A key point is that this new law states that "... the right to exercise national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people". Nobody is denying the strong connection between the Jewish people and Israel. But Israel is also a home to many who are not Jewish, and this law sends a worrying signal about their rights as Israeli citizens, and the part they have to play in Israel’s democracy.  

I am also particularly concerned about the references to Jewish settlement. There have been different interpretations of whether this refers to Israel only, or also to the West Bank, but the ambiguity is very unhelpful in a volatile situation. The Government is wholly opposed to the construction of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. This language is also extremely worrying in the context of a number of pieces of legislation being proposed, and already passed, by the Knesset, which blur the lines between Israel and the West Bank.

The EU made its views on the Nation State Law known to Israel at the time, including the fact that this law could complicate the path to the two state solution. The law has not been specifically discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Last year my Department signaled our concerns about the Nation State Law to the Israeli Embassy in Dublin. We continue to monitor the situation closely through our Embassy in Tel Aviv and Representative Office in Ramallah. Israel is currently in the process of forming a Government and we will continue to follow the actions of the new government in this area.

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