Arab Knesset member urges Sanders to fight Israel on nation-state law

Jamal Zahalka called on Sanders to fight Israel over its recently passed nation-state law.

By: World Israel News Staff

Israeli Arab Member of Knesset (MK) Jamal Zahalka and Adalah director Hassan Jabareen met with US Senator Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt.) and other US lawmakers this past week, asking them to exert pressure on Israel over its recently passed Nation-State Law.

Zahalka told Sanders that the law is “racist,” constitutes a violation of international law and is “apartheid.” He called on him to pressure the Israeli government to “limit its racism.”

Jabareen told Sanders that following approval of the law, the legal status of the Israeli Arabs has “significantly deteriorated.”

Adalah (‘Justice’ in Arabic), funded by the New Israel Fund, is a self-described Arab independent human rights organization.

“The struggle for equality and justice knows no borders and those who fight for such values in the US will fight an anti-democratic, racist and discriminatory law in Israel as well,” Zahalka said, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The nation-state law defines Israel as the Jewish state by law and enshrines its unique Jewish character.

After the passage of the law in July, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained the significance, noting that “the State of Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, with full equal rights for all of its citizens. This is the meaning of the words ‘a Jewish and democratic state.’”

Sanders and the US lawmakers reportedly agreed to fight Israel on this issue. Sanders is a vocal critic of Israel.