A bill proposed by MK (Ichud HaLeumi) David (Dudu) Rotem would demand that all MKs reaffirm their allegiance to the state if it becomes law. Rotem actions are prompted by the recent comments from MK Zahalka in which he referred to Minister of Defense Ehud Barak and the murdered of Gazan children. If the bill is passed, it will represent a change in the Basic Knesset Law, and it will demand an MK affirms his allegiance to the Jewish democratic Zionist State of Israel.
At present, after an MK is elected, s/he takes the oath of office which include affirming one’s allegiance to the State of Israel but Rotem feels the need to expand the declaration to include the Jewish, Zionist and democratic state.
It appears that in addition to the Arab lawmakers, the chareidim are less than pleased with the bill, with Yahadut HaTorah announcing it opposes the move. The party members explain that they can accept the democratic Jewish state, but not the “Herzlian Zionist state”. They explain that in essence, they are the true Zionists, davening three times daily.
It appears there are a number of objections from Labor Party members as well, and as such, the coalition will have to address the bill and decide if it will be brought before the Ministerial Legislative Committee in two weeks as scheduled.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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9 Responses
The statute, as understood by the sponsors, would require affirmation of support for Israel as a secular zionist state. Israelis use the word “democratic” to mean secular (as opposed to the American usage which refers to government by the people).
Even most chiloniom are shocked and appalled when they learn that Herzl’s “Plan A” solution to anti-semitism was for all Jews to convert to xtianity.
He only abandoned that plan when he found there was overwhelming opposition to it (by the way, where ARE Herzl’s great-grandchildren?!?!).
His “Plan B” was a Jewish state Anywhere (like Uganda), and a Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael was only Plan C!
w3hat’s shas’ platform on this?
mixed feelings: in the back of my mind im wishing they will pass it and just have under the table cooperation with every single cheiredi. use the bill to fix the problem and not create a SINGLE problem.
#1 is off the mark, as usual.
Yahadut Hatorah is playing in the Arabs MK’s hand.
BS”D
The correct way to handle this is “accept the right of Jews to live under Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel”. This would be acceptable to the haredim – and floor the yishmoelim once and for all.
#6 – but that wouldn’t accomplish the sponsor’s goal of removing the Hareidim from Israeli life.
If the concern was Arabs, they could require a religious oath of support for the state as a Jewish state, and perhaps reject an Islamic state (enough to exclude the Muslims who want an Islamic state, but include non-Muslim goyim, who generally prefer to be second class citizens of a Jewish state to third class citizens of an Islamic state).
Currently a member of the Kineset has to make a declaration of loyalty to the laws of the State, and the Supreme Court has ruled that anyone who takes this oath but has in mind that other laws (e.g. Torah laws) have supremacy over Israeli laws has made an invalid declaration and is not entitled to sit in the Kineset. Many (including Reb Moshe Sternbuch, shlita) fail to understand how anyone who believes in the supremacy of the Torah can bring himself to take such an oath, which is tantamount to a rejection of Torah supremacy and thus an issur of ייהרג ואל יעבור.
#5 i would rather play into the arabs hands instead of the zionist hands