Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
141. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the new Bill passed by the Israeli Knesset defining the country as the nation state of the Jewish people (details supplied). [35074/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra144. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he and his departmental officials are concerned about the recent announcement regarding the official language of Israel excluding Arabic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35091/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 144 together.
I have been following with concern reports about the passing of the Nation State Bill in Israel. It remains to be seen how much direct impact the Bill will have in practice, but as a symbolic action, it risks alienating 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 they call home. Some of these Israelis have already 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.
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 new 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.
As I said, it remains to be seen what this will mean in practice. My Department has signalled our concerns to the Israeli Embassy here, and continue to monitor the situation closely.
