The European Union issued a statement Friday denying that its envoy had called the proposed Nationality Law racist. However, it did not deny lobbying Knesset members against the bill.
“How Israel chooses to define itself is an internal issue for Israel to decide and we respect the internal debate which is ongoing," said the statement. "We value Israel’s commitment to the shared values of democracy and human rights, but would not want to see these values being put in question or even threatened."
"Democracy and equality, including equal rights for minorities, are key values that define our societies," the statement went on to say. "The respect for human rights and fundamental principles are a key part of the EU-Israel partnership. We never used derogatory language in general and certainly not to define draft bills under discussion in the Knesset.”
The Nationality Law, backed by the Likud-led coalition government, would establish the status of the State of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people and the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in its homeland as a unique right for the Jewish people. It would also anchor the symbols of the state, Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the Jewish calendar as the country's official calendar, and the Hebrew language as the official language.
Controversial clause
The current draft also includes a controversial section, Clause 7, which would permit the establishment of town councils to maintain the character of a particular community, and bar would-be residents from other sectors of the population.
According to a report by Channel 2 on Thursday, the European Union has been actively lobbying Israeli lawmakers, especially coalition members, to vote against the draft as it is currently written, calling the law “racist” and warning that it could seriously harm Israel’s international standing.
Emanuele Giaufret, the EU ambassador to Israel, reportedly told Israeli lawmakers that the bill would “place Israel outside the bounds of the accepted norms of democratic countries.” He also reportedly said: “The law stinks of racism, and it discriminates against various groups – particularly Arabs – and weakens the values Israel tries to uphold.”
Israel summoned Giaufret for a reprimand following the report. “It is not enough that the EU finances NGOs that strive to undermine the State of Israel and finance illegal construction; it is now interfering with Israeli legislation,” the Prime Minister’s Office said. “Apparently they do not understand that Israel is a sovereign state.”