Israel lawmaker proposes official minority status for Arabs

Ramallah: A Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament has announced that he will push for a new Basic Law, which will enshrine “recognition of Arabs as a national minority” with the aim of inaugurating a “full civic partnership”.

Ahmad Tibi of United Arab List-Ta’al told the Israeli daily Haaretz, “I challenge Israeli democracy to ensure equality for all its citizens, including Arabs.”

In his comments, Tibi stated that the new law will be founded on international charters dealing with minorities and would help protect Arab against discrimination and preserve their right to cultural diversity.

The bill will state, “The Arab minority is entitled to respect for its culture and heritage in the state of Israel. The Arab minority is entitled to equal rights and an absence of discrimination in education, housing, language, property rights and employment.”

Tibi warned, “If the Knesset and government reject this bill, this will send a strong and clear message regarding the state’s refusal to grant equality to its Arab citizens. It will freeze the current situation of personal and national discrimination in all aspects of life.”

According to Haaretz, the bill has support from a range of lawmakers including the left Meretz party’s Issawi Freij who told the daily, “We are repeatedly witnessing attempts by the right to rid one-fifth of Israel’s population from the public debate.”