Pnina Tamano-Shata
Pnina Tamano-ShataFlash 90

MK Pnina Tamano-Shata (Yesh Atid) on Monday referred to changes in the Nationality Law and claimed that the section that was removed would have caused serious problems for the State.

"It's good the Israeli government and coalition have come to their senses and have removed Article 7, which could have left a stain on Israel in the world," said Tamano-Shata.

A previous draft of the legislation included the controversial Article 7, which would permit establishing town councils to maintain the character of a particular community and bar would-be residents from other sectors of the population.

Article 7 had been included in order to enable Israel to accelerate Jewish settlement in the Galilee and the Negev Desert, which is dominated by the Israeli-Arab community. The wording of the bill drew much criticism, however, with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin arguing it could be used to discriminate against any number of religious or ethnic minority groups.

Tamano-Shata said, "It's fitting that the new version also contains a clause that says exactly as in the Declaration of Independence, 'The State of Israel will strive to develop the land for the benefit of all its residents.' This will also strengthen Jewish settlement, which is a national value, along with strengthening democracy and granting equality to Israeli Arab residents so that they will not live in exclusion and poverty.

"If we don't take proper care of the Arabs and they live in overcrowded conditions and neglect - in the end it will explode on us," warned the Knesset Member.

She added that "the development of Jewish settlement doesn't contradict the fact that citizens must be granted equality."

תמנו-שטה: התיישבות יהודית תוך מתן שוויון לערבים