The head of the campaign for Israeli nationality, Uzi Ornan, a retired linguistics professor, said: “It is absurd that Israel, which recognises dozens of different nationalities, refuses to recognise the one nationality it is supposed to represent.”
The government opposes the case, claiming that the campaign’s real goal is to “undermine the state’s infrastructure” — a presumed reference to laws and official institutions that ensure Jewish citizens enjoy a privileged status in Israel.
Mr Ornan, 86, said that denying a common Israeli nationality was the linchpin of state-sanctioned discrimination against the Arab population.
“There are even two laws — the Law of Return for Jews and the Citizenship Law for Arabs — that determine how you belong to the state,” he said. “What kind of democracy divides its citizens into two kinds?”
Why There Are No “Israelis” in the Jewish State
Tue, 2010-04-06 22:16
#1
Frustrated Mess
Why There Are No “Israelis” in the Jewish State
Issues Pages:
Tue, 2010-04-06 22:30
#2
Cueball
This looks like one of those excelent pieces that might need to be artificially kept in the TAT.
Tue, 2010-04-06 23:08
#3
Agree with Cueball - there's a story that needs repeating for all to hear.
Tue, 2010-04-06 23:20
#4
One nation, one folk, etc., etc.
Wed, 2010-04-21 23:34
#5
bagkitty
Well, hate to be critical, but you aren't doing a good job of keeping this front and center (I only found it by way of a link with the article by M. Dobbin (21 April)). So consider this a friendly BUMP.
Tue, 2010-04-27 19:29
#6
N.Beltov
Another version of Jonathan Cook's article can be found over here:
Israel's Big and Small Apartheids: The Meaning of a Jewish State
Israel excludes a nationality of "Israeli" to ensure that, in fulfillment of its self-definition as a "Jewish state," it is able to assign superior rights of citizenship to the collective "nation" of Jews around the globe than to the body of actual citizens in its territory, which includes many Palestinians. In practice it does this by creating two main classes of citizenship: a Jewish citizenship for "Jewish nationals" and an Arab citizenship for "Arab nationals." Both nationalities were effectively invented by Israel and have no meaning outside Israel.
Yup. A racist, apartheid state if ever there was one.