loyalty oath

Blue ID Teudat Zehut (Photo: Dahlia Scheindlin)

Quietly, East Jerusalem Palestinians acquiring Israeli citizenship

There has been a trend in recent years of Palestinian permanent residents of East Jerusalem applying for – and getting – Israeli citizenship. Will this trend provide freedom, or further fragment Palestinian national identity? By Riman Barakat Today marks the 45th anniversary of what Palestinians and the international community refer to as the illegal annexation of…

By +972 Magazine May 20, 2012

Social protest in Jaffa, 27 August, 2011 (Photo: Keren Manor/Activestills)

SURVEY: Palestinian citizens demand social justice

A new survey of Arab citizens of Israel following waves of anti-Arab activity shows that most have not given up on Israeli society, but instead express strong support for social activism to advance Arab issues, general social problems, and an end to the occupation. With so much nastiness directed against them, it wouldn’t be surprising…

By Dahlia Scheindlin December 24, 2011

Two pseudo-states is not a solution for flailing Israeli democracy

By Hagai El-Ad The two-state solution? Instead of an end to the occupation, September might bring us not just more of the same, but worse: an occupied pseudo-State of Palestine, alongside a deteriorating pseudo-democracy in Israel The expected UN General Assembly decision on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state was perhaps supposed to usher…

By +972 Magazine June 6, 2011

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National Center for the Preservation of Democracy: Japanese American National Museum Little Tokyo Los Angeles, CA (Photo: Flickr Creative Commons/kalavinka)

End of year poll updates: Israel and Palestine

Here’s a summary of some of the top quality polling being done by Israelis and Palestinians, about Israelis and Palestinians. From masses of data, I’ve selected highlights addressing two main themes: the Israeli Palestinian conflict, and the state of democracy in both societies. All the data comes from sources I trust. I use names or…

By Dahlia Scheindlin December 29, 2010

A new bill threatens Reform, Conservative movements

Knesset pushes two more legislative pieces that would drive Israel further from democracy Last week, the Ministerial Legislative Committee – which is responsible for deciding whether a bill will receive government sponsorship, which will allow it to be speedily debated and almost assure its becoming a law – debated a bill, tabled by MK Uri…

By Yossi Gurvitz November 17, 2010

Oct 20: Loyalty Oath might not pass in Knesset

The Headlines: What does Rabin’s Murder Mean? > Israel commemorates Prime Minister Rabin, assassinated in 1995 by an extreme right-winger, because of his involvement in the Oslo accords with the Palestinians. But what should we do on this of remembrance: recite Rabin’s individual life story? Condemn political violence in general? Should we critically examine the…

By Roi Maor October 20, 2010

Oct 19: Netanyahu: Loyalty for Jews as well

The Headlines: Jews will have to take loyalty oath > Netanyahu has decided that the proposed loyalty oath for naturalized citizens, to Israel as a “Jewish and democratic” state, will also apply to Jewish immigrants. Previously, the proposal was intended for non-Jews only. This revision seems unlikely to sway opponents, while perhaps producing new…

By Roi Maor October 19, 2010

Between the Lines (Oct 17): Thousands Protest ‘Loyalty’ Bill

The Headlines: Demonstration against Racism > Thousands demonstrated against the proposed loyalty oath bill, and other racist and anti-democratic proposals. > The US and other major countries have expressed disappointment at the decision to resume settlement construction in East Jerusalem. A planned meeting between Netanyahu and Palestinian President Abbas was cancelled. The Palestinians and some…

By Roi Maor October 17, 2010

Pledging allegialnce to the flag in a US school, early twentieth century.

Could opposition to the ‘loyalty oath’ bring out the best in Israelis?

When America Pastor Terry Jones recently threatened to burn a Koran, which is his constitutional right, America shouted him down. Voices on all sides of the political spectrum united in eloquent protest – such as Sarah Palin, whose Facebook site said: “Book burning is bad.” (OK, she wrote a few other things). My cynical expat…

By Dahlia Scheindlin October 12, 2010

Front page Yedioth 11 October.

Between the Lines (Oct 11): More “loyalty” measures in store

The Headlines: Heading in the wrong direction, fast > Israelis will soon be allowed to accelerate to 11o kph on some highways. But where will they be going? > One indication could be the government’s endorsement of a law requiring non-Jewish new citizens to declare loyalty to Israel as a “Jewish and Democratic” state. Some…

By Roi Maor October 10, 2010

Yedioth Aharonoth 10 October: Netanyahu strives to satisfy the right wing of his coalition

Between the Lines (Oct 10): Loyalty law expected to pass

The Headlines: Jews and non-Jews > The government is likely to approve today a proposed bill, which will require all new non-Jewish citizens to declare their loyalty to Israel as a “Jewish and democratic” state. Ha’aretz [Heb] and Yedioth focus their criticism today on Ehud Barak, leader of the Labor party, who supports the law…

By Roi Maor October 10, 2010

Minister of Defense Ehud Barak. Would you buy a used car from this man? (photo: Lisa Goldman)

Playing with fire: on the loyalty oath

Every time you think Ehud Barak, our spineless minister of defense, cannot sink any lower, he comes out with a public statement that proves you wrong once again. In this particular case, we are talking about the Loyalty Oath bill. The prime minister has suddenly announced that during the upcoming cabinet meeting, on Sunday, he…

By Yossi Gurvitz October 8, 2010