MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu) said Tuesday that Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran should be forced to step down over his refusal to sing the national anthem, Hatikva. "Singing the national anthem is not a matter of personal choice,” he said. “Every Israeli citizen must sing the anthem, especially someone in a state position.”
“Joubran did not hesitate to scorn the official ceremony of switching [Supreme Court] presidents – a spit in the face of the state of Israel,” Rotem continued. “There are citizens who demand rights and positions of authority, but disrespect their obligations to their country with brazenness and arrogance. This reality endangers the state’s continued existence, and we must destroy it at the root.”
Those who object to Hatikva "can find a state with an appropriate anthem, and move there," he concluded.