Arabs rally in Haifa to protest Israel's new 'racist' law
Hundreds of Arabs have protested in the Mediterranean port city of Haifa against the controversial “nation-state” law that was recently passed by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
The protest took place on Sunday, with several Arab and Israeli lawmakers voicing anger at the legislation. The protest has already engulfed the Druze community in the occupied territories.
Arab member of Knesset Aida Touma-Sliman, who is known for her criticism of the regime’s measures, called the legislation “an Apartheid law,” The Jerusalem Post wrote.
“This struggle must be not only of Arabs but of all those who looked for the words equality and democracy in the legislation and didn’t find them,” she said.
Israeli parliamentarian Mossy Raz complained that the law says “the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people and not the Palestinians as well,” the paper reported.
“This legislation should end up uniting the citizens – against the law,” he said.
The Knesset adopted the bill on July 19 declaring the occupying entity “the nation-state of the Jewish people,” in what is widely criticized as a measure that could lead to discrimination against the Arab population in the occupied lands.
The law prioritizes “Jewish” values over democratic ones in the occupied territories and declares Jerusalem al-Quds the “capital” of Israel.
It also allows existence of Jewish-only communities, and sets Hebrew as the official language, relegating Arabic from an official language to one with “special status.”
Speaking moments after the bill passed into law, however, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the vote as a “defining moment in the annals of Zionism.”
Critics and members of Israel Palestinian minority which constitutes 20 percent of Israel have likened the legislation to apartheid.
Palestinians living in Israel have long said they are treated as second-class citizens, suffering from discriminatory legislation and radically inferior access to public services and infrastructure compared to Jews.
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the law showed that Israel is “the most Zionist, fascist and racist" entity in the world, where the spirit of Adolf Hitler has re-emerged.
Erdogan said Israel had shown itself to be a “terror” regime by attacking Palestinians with tanks and artillery, adding that the move would “drown the region and world in blood and suffering.”
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