Jewish ‘Nation-State’ Issue Shatters Government

One of our bloggers examined this issue exactly one week ago.  Today’s news headlines indicate that the Netanyahu government is collapsing over this matter, prompting new elections in March or April.  Most of what follows is a sampling of news coverage and commentary as summarized by the J Street daily News Roundup:

Why Netanyahu Sacrificed His Coalition Over the Nation-State Law, The American Prospect

According to Gershom Gorenberg, Machiavellian explanations are too kind. The bill expresses what he believes: that Israel has become too democratic.

Israel’s “Jewish State” Debate Plays Politics with Essence of Israeli Democracy, J Street Blog
J Street said that Israel’s proposed ‘Jewish State’ law is unnecessary, ill-judged and damaging to democracy and should be set aside.

According to Bradley Burston, “In effect, the [Jewish state] law would turn all of Israel into the West Bank.”

President Abbas said on Tuesday that the proposed “Jewish state bill” “places obstacles in the way to achieving peace.”

Reform and Conservative Jews fear that the bill favors an Orthodox take on Jewish law, while the ultra-Orthodox say the spirit is more national and secular than religious.

A senior European Union source said that the law must preserve Israel’s democratic standards.

The New York Times editorial board warns that “in this time of high tensions and violence
between Jews and Arabs, incited by competing claims to the sacred site in the heart of Jerusalem . . . — any measure that claims a pre-eminent status for Jews can only add fuel to the fire.”