Israeli democracy and minority rights

Democracy is the cornerstone of the State of Israel. As emphasized in the Declaration of Independence*, Israel guarantees that its government will "be for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice, peace; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations." Israel’s two official languages are Hebrew and Arabic, and all citizens regardless of religion, ethnicity or color are accorded full civil and political rights, and equal participation in all aspects of Israeli social, political, and civic life.

The Israeli law of return is a humanitarian law rather than a religious, family reunification law. It came following the immigration waves during Israel’s first years which brought Holocaust survivors, along with refugees forced out of Arab countries to Israel. Although Jews are entitled to citizenship, non-Jews may also seek citizenship, and many have been welcomed by Israel as citizens with equal status and rights to Jewish citizens.

Nine European countries –Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Slovenia- have laws that grant official status to the connection between the nation and its ethnic national brethren living abroad. Section 108 of the Greek Constitution states that Greece will take responsibility for the "care for emigrant Greeks and for the maintenance of their ties with the fatherland." A law passed by the Russian parliament in March 1999 states that any Russian who returns to Russia can automatically become a Russian citizen. In October 2001, the Council of Europe published a report which stated that relationships between a homeland and its Diaspora kinsmen do not contravene international law as long as they do not undermine the territorial sovereignty of the countries involved.

Israeli law makes no distinction between its Arab and Jewish citizens. Israeli Arab citizens enjoy the same rights as their Jewish neighbors. They are free to practice their religion without discrimination, and they are not forced to serve in the army. There are a number of Israeli Arab parties represented in the Israeli Knesset (parliament), and Arab members of Knesset are vocal in promoting their issues and opinions. Recently, disappointed by the scarcity of Arab ministers in high governmental positions, the Israeli courts instituted a policy of affirmative action for Arabs in the higher echelons of the government. Today, an Israeli Arab serves as a judge in Israel’s Supreme Court.

As in every country, much more needs to be done to promote greater educational and employment opportunities for minorities, particularly for Israeli Arabs. The Israeli government has committed to investing in the necessary infrastructure and assistance for these communities. In contrast, the most primitive discrimination against non-Muslims is still openly practiced in Muslim countries.