The Knesset presidium approved two proposed bills for legislation yesterday, despite the opinion of the Knesset legal counsel that they contain racist elements. The bills will now be able to be presented to the Knesset for a debate and vote. One of the two, sponsored by Rabbi Chaim Druckman (NRP), stipulates that areas may be allocated for Jewish settlement only. The proposal is meant to bypass the Supreme Court ruling of March 2000 that forbade a Jewish community association from turning down an Arab citizen who wished to purchase land and live on its property. Justice Yaakov Kedmi\'s minority opinion that the value of \'national security\' overrides that of \'equality\' was not accepted. MK Zevulun Orlev (NRP) said at the time that the Court was \"detached from Israel\'s social and national problems,\" while MK Michael Kleiner (Herut) said that the ruling was \"another nail in the coffin of Zionism.\" The current bill, as mentioned, is meant to bypass the ruling.
The second proposal accepted yesterday, put forward by MK Kleiner, would offer an \"emigration basket\" of financial benefits to any citizen of Israel who wishes to emigrate from Israel to an Arab country and give up his Israeli citizenship. Kleiner said that the bill was not racist as it applies equally to any citizen of the country, and that it comes to solve the growing problem of those who do not accept the Jewish character of the State.
The second proposal accepted yesterday, put forward by MK Kleiner, would offer an \"emigration basket\" of financial benefits to any citizen of Israel who wishes to emigrate from Israel to an Arab country and give up his Israeli citizenship. Kleiner said that the bill was not racist as it applies equally to any citizen of the country, and that it comes to solve the growing problem of those who do not accept the Jewish character of the State.