Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday praised lawmakers for voting to pass controversial legislation known as the nation-state bill into law, saying the move was "a defining moment in the annals of Zionism and the history of the State of Israel."
MKs voted on the bill following a heated, 11-hour debate that ran late into the night. The proposal, which enshrines Israel's status as the national home of the Jewish people, passed its second and third parliamentary readings with a vote of 62 in favor and 55 against. Two MKs abstained.
Largely symbolic, the law stipulates that "Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it."
It further cements the status of state symbols and Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the State of Israel, and strips Arabic of its designation as an official language alongside Hebrew, instead awarding it a "special status" that enables its continued use in Israeli institutions.
The law also sets "the development of Jewish settlements nationwide as a national priority."
Addressing lawmakers after the vote, Netanyahu said, "Today, 122 years after [Theodor] Herzl shared his vision, we have enshrined in law the basic principle of our existence."
"Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people," he continued. "A nation state that respects the individual rights of all its citizens, and in the Middle East, only Israel respects these right."
"This is our state – the Jewish state. In recent years, some have cast doubt on this assertion; tried to undercut the core of our being," Netanyahu continued. "Today we made it law. This is our nation, this is our language, this is our anthem, and this is our flag. Long live the State of Israel."
Supporters of the new Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People say it places Jewish values and democratic values on equal footing, but its detractors claim it effectively discriminates against Israeli Arabs and other minority groups.
Opposition MKs fiercely opposed the bill from its very early stages. Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit has also warned that part of the legislation was discriminatory, as did President Reuven Rivlin, who expressed concern the bill would be "used as fodder by Israel's enemies."
The most furious protests during Wednesday's plenum session came from Arab lawmakers.
Joint Arab List MKs heckled Likud MKs as they addressed parliament. Party leader Ayman Odeh waved a black flag and denounced the "evil law." Immediately after the bill was passed, many members of the Joint Arab List stood up and defiantly tore up the bill, throwing pieces of paper at Netanyahu as he got up from his seat and made his way to the podium.
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein had them removed from the plenum.
"It is with shock and sorrow that I declare the death of democracy," Joint Arab List MK Ahmad Tibi said in a statement after the vote. "The funeral will take place today in the plenum."
Odeh also issued a statement, saying "Segregation, discrimination and racism are now enshrined in law. This is the law of Jewish superiority that excludes more than 20% of the population. The entire purpose of this law is to defy, divide, disparage and perpetuate the Netanyahu government's displays of incitement."
"This is a tyranny that is trampling the minority. Three years into the current government's term, it has already lost all shame and honor," the statement continued. "This law is directed against Arab citizens no less than it is against the democratic sphere. It's always easiest to incite and persecute, but now is the time for all the democrats living here together, Jews and Arabs, to unite against nationalism and racism and present a different voice – one of peace and equality."
The majority of opposition members left the Knesset plenum in protest during the vote.
"Will this law benefit or undermine the State of Israel?" Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) posed a question to parliament in his final address as opposition leader. "That is for history to judge. We are saddened by the fact that the core principle of equality is absent from this law."
Herzog recently resigned from the Knesset to assume his position as the new chairman of the Jewish Agency. His resignation will take effect in the coming days.
'A historic day'
Right-wing lawmakers lauded the outcome of the vote, which followed intensive talks among coalition partners, who were at loggerheads over the language of the nation-state bill.
Likud MK Amir Ohana, who co-chaired the ministerial committee that drafted the bill, called the vote a "defining moment in Israel's history."
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, the committee's second co-chair, said, "This is a historic and defining day. The nation-state law serves to shore up the identity, heritage and values underpinning Israel's existence."
He called on opposition members to "ask yourselves – what is it about this law that you oppose? Which principle do you find unacceptable? Is Israel not the Jewish nation-state? Is it the flag that you oppose? Answer honestly so that the public may know as well."
Likud MK Avi Dichter, who sponsored the bill, said, "It's over! The myriad of tricks, lies and fake news reports are all behind us. Today the Knesset concluded the work of Herzl and [David] Ben-Gurion. This is a historic moment that will be remembered for many years to come. Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people – in a basic law," he said, referring to the set of laws that serve as Israel's de facto constitution.
Edelstein welcomed the vote, tweeting, "History in the Knesset plenum. We have approved a basic law that guarantees Israel's status as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Our national anthem, flag and right to settle in this land are guaranteed for generations to come! Well done to all my friends who worked to bring one of the most important laws ever passed by the Knesset."
Jerusalem Affairs Minister Zeev Elkin (Likud) said, "Today we made history. The nation-state law was finally approved by the Knesset despite the heckling and rioting of Joint Arab List MKs."
"The law has come a long way since MK Avi Dichter and I first introduced it two [Knesset] terms ago,' he continued. "As of today, the status of the State of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people is protected. Our tenacity and determination have paid off."
Habayit Hayehudi MK Motti Yogev tweeted, "I welcome the enactment of the nation-state law. As tenacious as the opposition has been in its objections to this law, its importance is clear to every Jew and every person in the world. Long live the State of Israel."
