Azernews.Az

Akbar Novruz

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reignited controversy over Israel’s national identity after saying in a Channel 14 interview that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, while acknowledging that non-Jewish citizens have rights.

Netanyahu’s comments have drawn criticism from opponents who argue that placing Jewish national identity above other citizens risks implying a hierarchy between Jewish and non-Jewish Israelis. The remarks have therefore renewed a long-running debate over whether Israel can simultaneously define itself as a Jewish nation-state and guarantee equal civic status to all its citizens.

The controversy is particularly significant given Israel’s 2018 Nation-State Basic Law, which formally states that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people and gives national self-determination in the country as a unique right to the Jewish people. Critics of the law have argued that it weakened the principle of equality and created tension between Israel’s Jewish and democratic identities.

Netanyahu has made similar arguments in the past. In 2014, he said Israel should be the nation-state of the Jewish people while also maintaining individual rights for minorities.

The issue remains especially sensitive because Arab citizens make up roughly one-fifth of Israel’s population. While Arab citizens formally possess the same legal citizenship rights as Jewish Israelis, organizations and analysts have documented persistent socioeconomic disparities and concerns over structural discrimination.