Israel Set To Approve Citizenship Bill

We have the same situation in this country, as pointed out in previous posts, there are those who actually loathe what this country stands for. This past week a judge in Mississippi jailed a lawyer who refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Israel is on the brink of passing its own Pledge of Allegiance. How will this play out?

IMHO it is logical to expect those who enjoy the freedoms and rights of a Nation to pledge in support of it. The more I think about it, the less I believe this to be a Free Speech Issue. How say you?

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Israel to approve citizenship bill

Published October 09, 2010

| Associated Press



JERUSALEM – Israel's Cabinet is set to approve a controversial bill that will require new citizens to pledge allegiance to a "Jewish and democratic" state.

Introducing the measure to his Cabinet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended it as reflecting the essence of Israel. He said Sunday that many in the world are trying to blur the connection between the Jewish people and their national homeland.

Though largely symbolic, the bill has angered both the Palestinians and Israel's own Arab citizens.

Israel is demanding that the Palestinian recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people. The Palestinians refuse to do so for fear that it will undermine the status of Israeli Arabs and undercut the claims of Palestinian refugees.

Israel has a basic problem receiving the loyalty of its Arab citizens because Israel is officially a self declared Jewish state. A religious state is inherently exclusive. This situation must be corrected and discrimination against Arabs must cease before the state of Israel can reasonably expect allegiance of its Arab citizens.

It seems to me that Israel has had Arabs live freely in its country since its inception. There are a great number of Christians living in Israel as well, and considering that Jerusalem is the religious center of all three major religions, and it is a democracy, I see little validity to your statement. Israel was declared a State for the Jewish people in 1949 by the three major powers of the USA, Britain and the then USSR.

Can you name an Islamic State anywhere that is not a Religious State as you describe? How about discrimination in those countries? Why is it only a problem in Israel?

Where to start!?
The topic of this thread was about allegiance of all of the citizens to the state of Israel. So, what has that to do with the political structure of other countries? How does the condition of other states justify Israel being a religious state? Do multiple wrongs make a right?
Who said that discrimination in other states makes discrimination only a problem in Israel?
If your neighbor beats his wife, that justifies you beating your wife?

Majorbean:

You bring up the subject of Israel being a religious state and all changes have to occur to bring about equality for the Arab population, but I asked a simple question of you that you want to disregard in order to make the State of Israel the bad guy. Israel is surrounded by bad guys that far outnumber the citizenry. Israel has allowed Arabs and others to live peacefully in the country, but Arab countries will not allow reciprocity in their states. Again I ask you why is Israel the target of your disdain? Don't they have the rights of sovereignty? Don't they have the right to require their citizens to Pledge Allegiance to their country in return for the freedoms and rights they receive? How do they protect themselves from the terror attacks from those who are their enemies from within?

I'd say that's not constitutional - but Israel does not have a constitution.

That said, Isreael does have a "declaration of establishment" --- which is Israel's version of the "Declaration of independence."

it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

[/u] [/b] (emphasis added)

Getting back to your question

(is it) logical to expect those who enjoy the freedoms and rights of a Nation to pledge in support of it. (?) ... How say you?

I do not think the USA should compel its citizens to say the pledge. I think Israel's initiative is anti-ethical to the sentiments originally expressed at their founding - and I think mandating the POA is anti-ethical to our constitution.