Egypt denounces Israel’s Jewish state law
SANAA, July 21 (YPA) – Egypt has announced it rejects a newly passed Israeli law that defines Israel as “the nation-state of the Jewish people” because off “only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country.”
The Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement released on Saturday, that the new Jewish state law, which was passed by the Israeli Knesset on Thursday, solidifies the concept of occupation and apartheid.
The Egyptian foreign ministry said that the new law undermines the chances of achieving peace in the Middle East or reaching a fair solution in the Palestinian issue.
“The law can possibly undermine the right of Palestinian refugees to return, which is a right that has been internationally recognized and cannot be dismissed,” the statement read.
The ministry also said that the law’s assertion that Jerusalem is the “complete and unified” capital of Israel has dangerous implications on the prospects for a fair resettlement for Palestinians and reviving talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.
The Egyptian foreign ministry also demanded that the international community preserve the historical and legal rights of the Palestinian people and to work on restoring peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis as well as supporting the two-state solution.
Israeli lawmakers approved the bill in its second and third readings overnight, with 62 voting in favor, 55 opposed and two abstaining, after hours of heated debate in the Knesset chamber.
Similar to a constitution, the Basic Laws underpin Israel’s legal system and are more difficult to repeal than regular laws. The nation-state bill, proponents say, puts Jewish values and democratic values on equal footing. Critics, however, say the law effectively discriminates against Israel’s Arabs and other minority communities.
The law also declares that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, sets the Hebrew calendar as the official calendar of the state, and recognizes Independence Day, days of remembrance and Jewish holidays.
One clause of the bill downgrades the Arabic language from official to “special” standing, but also cryptically stipulates that “this clause does not harm the status given to the Arabic language before this law came into effect.”.
The Knesset overnight Wednesday-Thursday passed into law the contentious nation-state bill that for the first time enshrines Israel as “the national home of the Jewish people” in its quasi-constitutional basic laws.
Ahmed Al-Mutawakel