Islamic Movement flag
Islamic Movement flagIsrael News Photo: (Hana Levi Julian)

The Ministerial Committee on Legislation has approved a proposed a bill banning the commemoration of Independence Day as a day of mourning.

The bill was originally proposed by MK Alex Miller (Israel Our Home). It addresses the increasingly widespread practice, by Arab citizens of Israel, of marking Israel’s Independence Day as a day of mourning, or Naqba Day.

The proposal would forbid public events or activities marking the very creation of the State of Israel as a “catastrophe” (naqba, in Arabic). The maximum punishment for violators would be three years in prison.

The Committee’s approval means that the government’s official position on the bill is “in favor.” The bill must still pass through the customary preliminary Knesset reading this coming Wednesday, followed by Committee approval and final Knesset readings, in order to become law.

“This is the first step in stopping the Islamic movement's organized incitement amidst the Arab population in Israel,” Miller said after the Committee vote on Sunday. “Every democratic state has the right to defend itself, and this is what the Government of Israel decided to do today.”

“No longer will [Northern Islamic Movement head] Raad Salah's crazy plans to erase the State of Israel from the face of the earth be met with complacency,” Miller said. “The people of Israel have chosen a government that will protect its right to live in its land in peace and security, and we are committed to doing this.”