A preliminary reading of a bill anchoring HaTikvah as Israel\'s legal national anthem was passed in the Knesset today. The vote on the proposal, sponsored by MK Michael Kleiner (Herut), was 30-10. Kleiner explained: \"The occasional voices we hear from time to time that HaTikvah is [too Jewish and] not appropriate for all its citizens obligates us to anchor it in law and thereby reflect the Jewishness of the State.\" The Israeli flag and symbol have a similar legal basis.