29 - Israel as a Nation State of the Jewish People

Summary

In 2018, the nature of Israel as a state received further elaboration in law adopted by Israel’s Knesset titled Israel –The Nation State of the Jewish People. This law declared Israel to be “the nation state of the Jewish People.” The law was designated as a “basic law,” meaning that it held constitutional rank. The law declared “the development of Jewish settlement as a national value.” The law was criticized for excluding Israel’s Arab population from the country’s political constituency by declaring that Israel was the nation state of the Jewish people only. The law was also criticized for declaring settlement as a “national value,” since settlement in occupied territory is prohibited by international humanitarian law.