Israel has done it again. Just when you thought they couldn't get anymore chauvinistic or tribal they never cease to amaze me. Binyamin Netanyahu finally agreed on having a loyalty oath in which Arab (now Jewish) people who live in Israel or at least wish to live there have to pledge allegiance to a "Jewish and democratic" Israeli state. The problem is whether or not Israelis wish their state to be democratic in nature but if they want it to be Jewish or not.
It's claimed that this is meant to forge unity amongst Israel's new immigrant populations from the former Soviet Union, the US, Ethiopia, Yemen, Iran wherever but I highly doubt this is meant for that purpose. People who come to live in Israel seek to self-actualize their Jewish identity in their "God-given" country. You don't need an oath to do that. This legislation is meant to do two things; appease the extremists in Israel and ensure a Zionist state.
This oath, (authored by right-wing foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman - a former Russian bouncer) gives more legitimacy to his Shaas party and helps him win even more support from Israeli settlers in the West Bank and more zionist leaning Israelis all over the country where Jews are sparse such as the Negev and Galilee. This in turns threatens a possible peace deal - (though it's not like Israel actually wants a peace settlement) and will pro-longed the conflict obviously in Israel's favour as Arabs inside and outside of Israel are increasingly marginalized.
Finally, this measure allows for the creation of a Zionist state. Using the law in order to ensure racial/ethnic purity is nothing new. Apartheid in South Africa is an example Israel detractors like to bring up often since the West Bank is resembling a terrible Bantu-stan and the Gaza Strip is still just an open air prison camp. Also, the United States had a go at Jim Crow when Reconstruction failed after its Civil War all the way until 1965. Nearly 100 years! The most important factor of this oath is that it'll create a mental segregation of Israel's Arab population which is currently 20% of the population and growing as are the Palestinians.
Doing this ensures no Jewish state and will ultimately come to hurt Israel as it turns on its Arabs. The only Arabs in the Middle East who somewhat didn't mind Israel.
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