Israeli Arab group proposes new ‘multi-cultural’ constitution
Israeli Arab group proposes new ‘multi-cultural’ constitution - Haaretz -
A proposed constitution written by the Israeli Arab advocacy center, Adalah, states that Arab Knesset members will be able to bring about the disqualification of bills that impinge on the rights of Arabs, and classifies the State of Israel as a “bilingual and multicultural” country rather than a Jewish state. The proposal, entitled “The Democratic Constitution,” also calls for majority and minority groups to split control of the government in such a way that will strengthen the Arab minority on issues relating to the character of the state.
Adalah’s version of the constitution essentially abolishes the Jewish elements of Israel, but allows the Jewish majority to maintain its character through educational and cultural institutions. The proposal invalidates the Law of Return, which grants automatic citizenship to people with at least one Jewish grandparent, and states that citizenship will be granted to those who come to Israel for humanitarian reasons, regardless of their religion.
…Adalah’s constitution is the first one proposed by an Arab institution, though there have been many proposed by various Jewish ones. Adalah chairman Prof. Marwan Dwairy said the other proposals are not based on democratic values. “They relate to Arab citizens like foreigners in this homeland, in which history, memory and collective rights are the legacy of Jews alone,” he wrote.
This proposal seems to go even further than recent efforts by Israeli Arab notables to insist that democracy is more important than Jewish statehood. The only surprise is that it has taken this long.
Haaretz adds this:
Adalah hopes that its proposal will spur public discourse on the legal and cultural standing of Israeli Arabs.
That seems to me pretty much guaranteed.