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Sun, Oct 10, 2010 (Updated: Mon, Oct 11, 2010) | Israel Prime Minister’s Office | By Crethi Plethi

Benjamin Netanyahu: "Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East."

Israeli Cabinet Passes Loyalty Oath For New Citizens

The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday has approved an amendment to a citizenship law that requires new citizens (non-Jews) to declare their loyalty to a “Jewish and democratic state” to receive Israeli citizenship. The new oath would not apply to immigrants coming to Israel under what is called the “Law of Return” that allows converted Jews and people with Jewish ancestry the right to settle in Israel and acquire citizenship.

Just before the start of his government’s Weekly Cabinet Meeting, Netanyahu made a plea for changing the nation’s Citizenship Law. A statement from the Government’s office confirmed vote, saying that the measure passed with a vote of 22 ministers for the change and 8 ministers against it.

Arab Knesset members and labor ministers feel that the revision is undemocratic or could harm relations with the minority Arab population.

But in his remarks at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu cited the nation’s Declaration of Independence, which says Israel is both the “national state of the Jewish people” and a democratic state “in which all its citizens — Jewish and non-Jewish — enjoy fully equal rights.”

“Democracy is the soul of Israel and we cannot do without it,” Netanyahu said and “there is no other democracy in the Middle East. There is no other Jewish state in the world.”

Israel is home to approximately 6 million Jewish citizens and 1.5 million Arab citizens.

The oath is very similar to the Citizenship Law in the United States, England, Australia, France and other countries who also demand a declaration of loyalty.

Read Prime Minister Netanyahu’s remarks at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting here:

“Today, the Cabinet will discuss an amendment to the Citizenship Law, to the effect that anyone seeking to become a naturalized Israeli citizen will declare that he or she will be a loyal citizen of the state of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

In 1896, Theodor (Binyamin Zeev) Herzl wrote: ‘The Jews who are seeking a state will have a state. Finally, we will live as free people on our own land.’

Fifty-one years later, on the eve of independence, David Ben-Gurion wrote: ‘The state that will be established will be Jewish in its purpose, designation and objective; not a state of those Jews who reside in the country but a state for the Jews, for the Jewish People.”

Our Declaration of Independence says: ‘We hereby declare the establishment of a Jewish State in the Land of Israel, to be known as the state of Israel.’

In 1992, the Knesset – in Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty – determined: ‘The purpose of this Basic Law is to protect human dignity and liberty, in order to establish in a Basic Law the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.’

This is the essence of the Zionist vision, of the Declaration of Independence and of the structure of administration in Israel.

The State of Israel is the national state of the Jewish People and is a democratic state in which all its citizens – Jewish and non-Jewish – enjoy fully equal rights.

To my regret, today, there are those who are trying to blur not only the unique connection between the Jewish People and its homeland, but also the connection between the Jewish People and its state. Democracy is the soul of Israel and we cannot do without it. No one can preach democracy or enlightenment to us. Zionism established an exemplary national state, a state that balances between the national needs of our people and the individual rights or every citizen in the country.

There is no other democracy in the Middle East.

There is no other Jewish state in the world.

The combination of these two lofty values expresses the foundation of our national life and anyone who would like to join us needs to recognize this.”

Updated – Mon, Oct 11, 2010:

Cabinet Approves Amendment to Article 5c of the Citizenship Law

The Cabinet sunday approved an amendment to Article 5c of the Citizenship Law. The goal of the amendment is to integrate into the oath made by those seeking to become naturalized Israeli citizens that the State of Israel is the national state of the Jewish People and a democratic state, all of whose citizens enjoy fully equal rights.

According to the amendment, those seeking to become naturalized Israeli citizens will take an oath to the effect that their allegiance is to the State of Israel, “as a Jewish and democratic state,” and that they, “promise to honor the laws of the state.”

It was agreed that Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s proposal to add to the above wording the expression, “in the spirit of the principles of the Declaration of Independence,” would be submitted for discussion by Ministerial Committee on Legislation, chaired by Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman. It was also decided that the Justice Minister’s proposal to apply the aforesaid wording to those receiving citizenship under the Law of Return, would be discussed by the Cabinet at a future date.

The Cabinet decision is a summary of activity by the Forum on Migration that was established in order to formulate legislation in the field of migration into the State of Israel and in order to implement its national interests while upholding its values as a Jewish and democratic state that respects human rights.

At the start of the discussion, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the importance he ascribes to the decision: “The State of Israel is the national state of the Jewish People and is a democratic state in which all its citizens – Jewish and non-Jewish – enjoy fully equal rights. The combination of these two lofty values expresses the foundation of our national life and anyone who would like to join us needs to recognize this.

The State of Israel was not established like any other country. It was established as the national state of the Jewish People, as the sovereign state of the Jewish People in its historic homeland. The State of Israel is also the only democracy in the Middle East. Where else in the Middle East can Jews and non-Jews live safely with fully equal rights other than in Israel? Democracy and equal civil rights for all citizens, Jews and Arabs, are the soul of Israel.

With this amendment, we expect all those who seek to become citizens in the only democracy in the Middle East will recognize that Israel is the Jewish national state and a democratic state. There is broad agreement in Israel on the Jewish identity and the democracy of the State of Israel; this is the foundation of our existence here.”

Twenty-two ministers voted in favor of the draft amendment (Netanyahu, Yaalon, Shalom, Katz, Livnat, Saar, Peled, Steinitz, Kahlon, Erdan, Edelstein, Neeman, Liberman, Misezhnikov, Aharonovitch, Landau, Landver, Atias, Yishai, Margi, Nahari, and Hershkowitz) while eight ministers voted against (Meridor, Begin, Eitan, Barak, Ben-Eliezer, Braverman, Herzog and Simhon).