An Israeli bill requiring new lawmakers to swear allegiance to Zionist values passed a first reading. Legislation tabled Wednesday would rephrase the oath taken by new Knesset members so that they pledge loyalty to Israel as a “Jewish and democratic state.” The bill, which appeared to come in response to the increasingly vocal anti-Zionism of Israeli Arab lawmakers, is unlikely to be ratified, given the ideological divisions in the plenum. A second bill, which passed first reading Wednesday, would prevent the transfer of sovereign Israeli land to a foreign government, a bid to forestall talks on returning the Golan Heights to Syria.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
