Israel's top court upholds Jewish nation-state law
The 2018 law, which enshrines national self-determination as a unique right of the Jewish people, was denounced by critics who say it discriminates against Israel's Arab population.
Israel’s highest court on Thursday upheld a controversial nation-state law that defines Israel as the home of the Jewish people, but which critics said discriminated against Israel’s Arabs minority.
Ten out of 11 justices on the High Court of Justice ruled to deny 15 petitions challenging what's known as the Basic Law on Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, which the Knesset passed in 2018.
The law, which was backed by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, holds that the right of national self-determination in Israel is “unique to the Jewish people.” It also enshrines Hebrew as Israel's official language and defines Jewish settlements as “a national value.”
In its verdict, the court said the law is “intended to anchor the components of the identity of the state as a Jewish state, without diminishing from the components of the state’s democratic identity.” The court’s majority, however, conceded that “it would have been better if the principle of equality had been explicitly enshrined” in the Basic Law.
