MK Benny Begin (Likud), the son of former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, criticized the Nationality Law at a conference of the law faculty at the University of Haifa Tuesday.
"The National Law does not actually impair the equality of rights in the State of Israel, but it defies the principle of equality and the Jewish state," Begin said. "If the phrase 'and to uphold equality of rights for all its citizens' were to be added to the Nationality Law, it would solve many problems both in feeling and in practice."
He said that he had already put before the Knesset yesterday a private bill to amend the Basic Law, which included this addition.
Begin added that he is concerned that the security situation could lead to an attempt to pass laws that would harm minority groups in Israeli society. "In the days of security tension we are in, we have to be very, very careful and watch out for accelerated legislation under the headline 'The Basic Law' which could deny existing basic laws to citizens and minority groups."
However, he also praised the current government for investing in and promoting the Arab sector of Israeli society more than previous governments, and that thanks to current government policy, "it can be said that in recent years, many of the Arab citizens have moved to the center of the economic and social map in Israel."