“This is a celebratory and important moment,” declared Tourism Minister Yariv Levin of the Likud Party July 26 at the first debate in preparation for the first reading of the controversial nationality bill. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of HaBayit HaYehudi added her own dose of pomposity when she pronounced the proposed law “historic” and proclaimed, “It will remain with us for eternity.” The debate itself, however, held in the spacious Negev Hall of the Knesset, was far from celebratory. It was the last day of the Knesset’s summer session, and emotions were running hot — around the conference table and not far from there at the Temple Mount compound.

The charged debate, which included fierce conflicts between Arab Knesset members and their colleagues on the right, succinctly reflected the violent anti-Israel atmosphere on the Arab street, in the West Bank and Gaza and around the Muslim world since the murder of two Border Police officers on the Temple Mount July 14 and the ensuing installation of metal detectors (since removed) at the entrance to the compound.

It seems there could not have been a more appropriate debate to end the Knesset’s 2017 summer session, which will be recalled primarily for the advancement of anti-democratic, nationalist and divisive legislative initiatives put forward by the governing coalition at the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Nationality Law, approved in May by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, was the cherry on top for Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition. Netanyahu sought to pass it on the first reading (out of the three obligatory readings) at the session that ended yesterday, but encountered an obstacle in the Knesset’s legal adviser, Eyal Yinon, who determined that significant legislation cannot be rushed.

The current version of the law was advanced by Avi Dichter, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee. It is meant to anchor in law the Jewish character of the State of Israel. Its opponents argue that such a move would come at the expense of the democratic values of the state and its treatment of minorities, foremost among them the Arab minority.