Israel’s Nation State Law Up for Review in January

By Amber Fisher, Julian Hayda
Activists hold the Israeli Declaration of Independence papers as they protest Jewish nation bill, during a Knesset session in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018. The law, sponsored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and passed by parliament last month, endorsed the country’s identity as the nation-state of the Jewish people. But it also downgraded Arabic from an official language to one of “special standing” and emphasized “developing Jewish settlement as a national value.“
Activists hold the Israeli Declaration of Independence papers as they protest Jewish nation bill, during a Knesset session in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018. The law, sponsored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and passed by parliament last month, endorsed the country's identity as the nation-state of the Jewish people. But it also downgraded Arabic from an official language to one of "special standing" and emphasized "developing Jewish settlement as a national value." Oded Balilty / AP Images
Activists hold the Israeli Declaration of Independence papers as they protest Jewish nation bill, during a Knesset session in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018. The law, sponsored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and passed by parliament last month, endorsed the country’s identity as the nation-state of the Jewish people. But it also downgraded Arabic from an official language to one of “special standing” and emphasized “developing Jewish settlement as a national value.“
Activists hold the Israeli Declaration of Independence papers as they protest Jewish nation bill, during a Knesset session in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018. The law, sponsored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and passed by parliament last month, endorsed the country's identity as the nation-state of the Jewish people. But it also downgraded Arabic from an official language to one of "special standing" and emphasized "developing Jewish settlement as a national value." Oded Balilty / AP Images

Israel’s Nation State Law Up for Review in January

By Amber Fisher, Julian Hayda
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In July, Israel passed a constitutional law that specifies Israel as an exclusive nation-state for the Jewish people. The “Nation State Law,” as it’s known, establishes Hebrew as the only national language, and designates Jewish settlement as a national value. Groups like the Anti-Defamation League, and the European Union Parliament have criticized the law as antithetical to liberal democratic values. Several challenges to the law are to be heard by the Supreme Court in January. This hour, we talk with three Israeli citizens from opposite sides of the issue. Joining us are Jafar Farah is the founder and director of the Mossawa Center, an Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel, Nabila Espanioly, founder and director of Al-Tufula, a women’s center in Nazareth, and Eugene Kontorovich, professor of law at the Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University. We’ll also discuss an Illinois Investment Board decision to preemptively blacklist AirBnb from State pension funds based on the vacation rental website’s withdrawal of listings from the West Bank.