these are the words for the anthem...of course its from a Jewish perspective of being out of exile from the Holy land, htese words mean nothing to a Israeli Arab who has roots in that land for centuries: As long as deep in the heart, The soul of a Jew yearns, And forward to the East To Zion, an eye looks Our hope will not be lost, The hope of two thousand years, To be a free nation in our land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

But, would he be willing to, maybe, hum a few bars of it?

I just hope the regret will be not as bitter as ,it is clear ,it can be. Israel seems to have very short memory. We seem to really be a hard neck people! This supids in the government don't have any respect for those who fought to come back to this land and for those who dead for this land! It is just umbelivable what's going on!

Palestine was very crowded and one of the most crowded provinces of the Ottoman state loner before any zioinst arrived, or before the first aliyah

He's an Arab & does not identify with the Jewish State. But, if that is his belief, why is he in our gov't.? Blame Peretz & the Labour Party. They made him a Minister.

Why are you all discussing the issue of whether or not he should sing the National Anthem? The issue is, why on earth is he a member of OUR Knesset and in such a sensitivie position? And please do not respond by informing me that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East....I know that....but, even within a democracy there are rules and regulations and WE should not permit NON Jews into our government...do they allow us into theirs? In any of their 22 Muslim countries? No !! So stop all this crap and look at the issue that is far more pressing.

and if he doesn't like it, he is free to leave. People who can't swear alleagiance to this JEWISH state, should be dismissed from the government at once.

You Israelis must be mad . You are so apathetic and only react when the missiles strike your heartland. ( Haifa etc) You do not strike back when rockets land in Sderedot , now Arab MK's will sell you in half a second . They even tell you that Israel has to be demolished and replaced by a COUNTRY where Arabs and Jews live together but ruled by the Arab majority. It seems you do ignore the fact that Arabs want to kill all of you. They are shouting it from the rooftops and you are too blind to see.

Yes Mr. Struggle, as your name means! The Hatikvah is not your national anthem. It is the expression of the deepest feelings of the Jewish soul. Those anti-Arab statements are the consequences of extreme anti-Israeli positions taken by your people, inside and outside Israel. Leave Israel if you want to sing something else! You do not deserve the democratic rights you enjoy.

I sang "I am of german blood" years and dutch people are not german and I am not from german blood, but it is history and you respect the anthem of the country you live in! his son can buy a house and he sits in the knessth, that is more than my son will get in an Arab country!!!!

The song talks about the longing of the Jewish soul for Eretz Yisrael. I am, what one would consider, a right-wing Jew; that is I believe all of Eretz Yisrael is ours. However, I can understand how a non-Jew would not feel comfortable singing these words. He's right - it WAS written for Jews!

I think that there are some more important issues, than this stupid pettiness, facing our national agenda

By making this into an issue, Eldad wants nothing but to score cheap points with some of the most detestable sections of our population/electorate. By publishing this story, Ynet is doing nothing but baiting the assorted extremist kooks to indulge in yet another Arab-bashing orgy. What's the point of this?? While HaTiqvah has a very special meaning to me and usually moves me literally to tears, MK Majadele is entirely correct in absolutely everything he is quoted as saying. He is under perfectly no obligation to sing a song, which is not in his language and which does not express his sentiments. Standing up while it is being played is good enough for me.

Just remember, YOU are responsible for this.

that let's everyone who is not Jewish know that they are not equal members in the society. If the US had a national anthem that favored only Christians in it's wording, you could be sure that we Jews would be protesting to the high heavens for an immediate change in lyrics.

...was proposed for the national anthem nearly 40 years ago.

Kahane was right about the threat to Israel of allowing hundreds of thousands of Arab Muslims to live as a fifth-column in Israel. Majadele, Tibi and their anti-Israel, Jew-hating associates are testing the limits of how much sedition and treason Israel will tolerate. Deport Majadele, Tibi, and many others to let them know the limits on sedition and treason.

This story is yet another litmus test to find the limits our society is ready to tolerate non-personalities at its helm. Corrupt PM, ignorant and pompous Defense Minister who appoints a Culture & Science minister which not only lacks any credentials for the position, but starts his public service with an open provocation. Spit after spit in the face of the nation... Histadrut must demand emergency lowering of the prices for the wiping tissues.

Kick the Arab MK's with Peretz TOGETHER !

After all he is so called “a Palestinian Israeli”. Send him to Palestine. After such open evidences our leaders don't weak up; only G'd will save Jews and Jewish Nation, or we shall be the last Jews on this earth. Or may be G’d has planed for us another planet, lets go there.

In every nation-state the cultural norm, language and the national athem reflects the identity of the national majority. Just like Jewish minorities have for generationa accepted the cultural norms in the host country, so must all non-Jewish minorities in Israel accept the cultural norm and identity of the Hebrew nation state of Israel. Majdale and the other fifth column traitors must be kicked out of Knesset and Israel.

What about 2000 year of Jewish feeling of being an outsider both in Christian and Moslem territories? Have you noticed that the English flag has a CROSS and the flag of for example Turkey and Tunisia have the MOSLEM CRESCENT, despite the fact that not all citizens in those countries are Christians and Moslems? Israel was, is and will always be the HEBREW nation state and anyone who doesn't like it is free to leave....

This issue has come up time and time again. The words of HaTikva are, really and truely only written for Jews. For anyone else, the whole anthem just doesn't make sense. How can an Arab sing "our hope for 2000 years to be a free people in Zion"? Unless Israel plans to become a Jewish ghetto - we really need a new anthem that speaks to minorities as well, regardless of their religion or national background. ...and a Jewish ghetto is not a nation.

by joining Tippex, our official representatives at the Eurovision Song Conterst with "Push the Button". If not ,it's the Hatikvah for you mate...Your choice!

we don't need a new anthem! They just don't have to sing it! I remember in school - in the U.S. - not singing the words to Christmas carols when I sang in the choir. What's the big deal! MAYBE - but maybe - another verse could be added relating to the various peoples living among us.

The national coach.Check please that our Jewish players at the football game next week know and sing all the words of the Hatikva with pride and confidence(eg homiya etc.) ?Can you maybe put this right? Thank you and b'Hatzlacha to our great team.

The real "Getho" Jews are people with your opinions. Is England an English "getho" because its flag has the English cross despite the fact that there are countless of religious and ethnic minorities in England who can't fully identify with the English cross? Israel is a HEBREW nation state with a HEBREW majority and norm which must be reflected in national our culture, language and national athem. just like Jewish minorities outside of Israel have to accept the majority culture, so must non-Jewish minorities in the Jewish state. Anyone who has a problem with this should move.

is not one of individual aesthetic preference, melody, or lyrics. To sing an anthem is to show allegiance to a state. So when Arab fifth columnists try to make monkeys out of their Jewish hosts, the refusal to participate can only be construed as political. For a Jew to refuse would be looked upon with disapproval, but this is an outrage. You didn't print my first, shorter, talkback when the article appeared. Hope I'm luckier this time.