Israel News

Arab MK quits over law defining Israel as Jewish state

Knesset Member Zouheir Bahloul belatedly resigned from the Israeli parliament in protest over the Nation-State Law.

By Jack Gold, World Israel News

Israeli-Arab Member of Knesset Zouheir Bahloul of the Zionist Union political party, resigned from the Israeli parliament in protest of the recently passed Nation-State Law.

Bahloul, formerly one of Israel’s most popular sports journalists, submitted his letter of resignation to Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein on Tuesday.

The resignation will go into effect Thursday and Bahloul will be replaced in the Knesset by former Labor MK Moshe Mizrahi.

Zionist Union Chairman Avi Gabbay criticized Bahloul’s decision as “extremist.”

The Nation-State Law defines Israel as the Jewish state and enshrines its unique Jewish character.

After the passage of the law in July, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained its significance, noting “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.’”

The new law does not rescind previous laws ensuring individual rights. However, Israeli Arabs MKs have criticized the law as racist and said it infringes on their human rights.

 

Share
Published by
Aryeh Savir
Tags: Bahloul Israeli politics Knesset Nation-State Law

Recent Posts

  • Source-WIN

Polls close across Israel as exit polls show no clear winner

If the exit polls prove close to the final results, neither side would have a…

20 minutes ago
  • Source-WIN

Historic Arab turnout reshapes Israeli election as polls close

One of the biggest stories of the night was an extraordinary surge in Arab voter…

55 minutes ago
  • Israel News

Democrats leader Golan approached by man with knife on election day

By 6 p.m., 66.7% of eligible voters had cast their ballots—the highest turnout by that…

5 hours ago
  • Videos

WATCH: ‘Jews being exterminated from Middle Eastern countries is the real genocide,’ charges RFK

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired back at claims that Israel is committing genocide,…

5 hours ago
  • Israel News

Intel to acquire Israeli quantum computing firm Classiq in reported $2.3B deal

Founded in Israel, Classiq develops software that enables researchers, developers, and businesses to design quantum…

5 hours ago
  • Arab-Israeli Conflict

IDF kills four Hamas, Islamic Jihad terrorists in Gaza airstrikes

The IDF said it targeted a trio of Gazan terrorists near a shaft in Khan…

6 hours ago