A little comparison here is warranted... Scene one : Young Jews on a night out in Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel are allowed to wear a cardboard cut-out of their Prime Minister and go out and have a dance and a bit of fun on a Saturday in total openness. Scene Two : Tehran. Probably not much different except the entertainment would be done in secret and the participants would be in fear of their life for certain acts against the state. Scene Three : Darfur. Forget about it. Israel is not perfect by any means. No nation is at this present time in human history. But as far as nations go it is well up there with the best. Declaring loyalty to a State is not as bad as this article claims if that State is decent. Many Americans have died defending the principles of liberty since 1776. Many Australians, Brits, French etc. have died defending the principles of Western Civilization over the decades.

Here in Australia anyone wanting to be an Australian Citizen has to pledge allegiance and loyalty to Australia and the Constitution of Australia. I think that most democratic countries also require it. I feel that Israel really needs this kind of commitment from whoever wants to be a citizen of Israel. There is so much hatred and violence against the Jewish state and its people from within Israel that it has to be done. Anyone signing this certificate of allegiance can then be prosecuted and deported (non-Jewish) legally because they have breached or broken that signed pledge.

is subject to one's personal integrety. Don't expect an oath of patriotism to put Ha'aretz out of business.

Jewish and democratic - that is how Israel is perceived by the world - as the home of Judaism and the spiritual centre of Jews worldwide; "racist" is a figment of the imagination. It is as religious as you can get and there are already precedents including "The Islamic Republic of Iran" (and I regretfully inculde the Islamic Republic of Britain) where Sharia is practised. Do you hear any of the minorities in Iran raising objections to "Islamic Republic"? Anyone can name one country that has taken public issue with the name "Islamic Republic of Iran"? And I'll tell you one thing. No Christian perceives Jerusalem as an Arab capital. All those who object to Israel as Jewish and democratic do not meet the basic requirements of Israeli citizenship. Israel has a long history of being a God-centered land and for a non-people (Pals, because that is how Israeli Arabs consider themselves) and johnny-come-lately leftists and liberals with their post-modern ideology to want to dictate on the core values is just too ridiculous for words. This is an internal matter and should be decided by the Israelis, not the minority Arabs and Christians. This is not the business of outsiders (the "world") who will be out of place to comment on Israel's internal affairs. They did not comment on Iran but bet your bottom dollar, they think Israel is weak enough for them to wash their mouths on her.

Kind of absurd, and Im a lifelongZionist. I would give my life to protect Israel, as a USA citizen, with no apologies. That said, all that is needed for ministers, govt leaders and new citizens, is to take an oath. to Israel, leave out the Jewish. The controversy aint worth it. What about the 300,000 Slavs who want to become Jewish, but cannot due to Orthodox requirements? To Israel: tighten up your sedition/treason laws instead. Prosecute people like Tibi for sedition...beef up your ethics committee. If a Mk cavorts with the enemy (Hamas/Hez) try for treason., and minimally take away any legislative priviledges. The Muslim world with 1.4b can do what they want. Israel doesnt have that luxury. Dont cut your nose to spite your face Bibi. When I worked for the govt, I took an oath., but not to a particular religion.

To Freddie Maier: The Arabs think they are cute. They want Jewish gelt ( W. Bk), but wont buy products. They waste water..(leakage) and refuse upgraded waster reclycling plants..claiming the water is theirs to begin with, now used by Israel. Politics and wishful thinking has clouded (no poisoned) their thinking. 10,000 Arab prisoners..are living countryclub lives..and should be resentenced. Arabs want Jewish police investigated for 13 deaths 10 yrs ago...and riot. Okay, retry the 10,000, with capital punishment. Good for the goose as they say. Who cares what the Pales want (in NATO). Worry about troops on Israeli soil. If Christians/Muslims want to die, thats their business. Sooner or later, an errant missile will do the job.

is not done by attention on Jewish settlements; arab terror in 1929 before Israel was reborn was not because of Jews in Judea (west bank) building a porch in 2010. why was there arab terror preceding the state? what are the sources in the culture that prevent large swaths of arab public from allowing non arab sovereignty in the land. If this question is not analyzed and answered we are all spinning our wheels; this question gets to the crux of the matter. In my opinion it is a combination of Islamic doctrine, Jewish doctrine, Arab nationalism and Jewish nationalism. The most glaring difference between the 2 sides is the extent of each side. For Islam the conquest lies somewhere between the present 56 nations and global caliphate dominion, for Jews it lies in one country of Israel and does not seek expansion beyond the Torah opinions of what boundaries the Torah lays out

about time.

Mazal Tov. I have been advocating this for years. It should go even farther. It should include present citizens to weed out the anti Israel elements, be they Jewish, Muslim or Christian.

Messiah who is Jewish comes to judge the nations for how they treated the Jews. Sheep nations treated the Jews well. Goat nations treated the Jews badly. Goat nations are cast into the lake of fire. Yeshua the Messiah said salvation is of the Jews. He also said those who loved Him would obey His commandments. Since he said he is Yahweh, the commandments for Christians are the same as for Jews. Do Christians obey the Sabbath of the Bible not to buy or sell food or wares from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday? I don't think so. Do Christians read and obey the Torah as a foundation of faith since faith without works (obeying Torah) is dead, being alone? Lawlessness does not lead to eternal life. Lawlessness is Torahlessness. The Torah is written on the heart of true believers of the religion of Yeshua which is Jewish with Jewish roots and a grafted on Christian branch. A tree can live without the branch, but not without the roots. The Christians will become Jews when their eyes are opened to all the deceptions foisted upon them. How can Christians please Eloah if they don't even observe the Jewish Holy Days? The Spring Feasts point to the Jewish Messiah coming as the sacrificial lamb and servant. The Fall Feasts of Jews point to the coming of the Messiah as the Lion of Judah. He ain't comin to rescue Christians. He is coming to rescue Jews and only if the Christians are Jews in their hearts with the Torah written on their hearts can they be among the few who will be protected. Zephaniah said to seek meekness and righteousness to be among the few who are spared. Righteousness is the Torah which reflects the works required of true faith which is a gift from Yahweh/Yeshua. The world will become Jewish, not Christian if Sunday as a Sabbath is what Christians believe in and Jesus is called God from the paganized name Je-Zeus that replaced the real name of Yeshua. Yeshua is Yahweh. JeZeus is not. Emperor Constantin and the Council of Laodicia changed the Jewish religion to a paganized religion called Christianity. If the Sabbath was going to be changed, the Messiah would have changed it. If the Messiah wanted Je-Zeus for a name, he would have said that was his name. Wake up. Read Mary Walsh's essays and see how deceived the paganized Christian churches are. Worshipping any god but Eloah, Yahweh, Yeshua, Elohim, Adonai, El Shaddai, etc. is idolatry and blasphemy.

WHAT KIND OF IDIOTIC LAW IS THIS? WHAT THE HELL IS A JEWISH DEMOCRATIC STATE? IS IT SIMILAR TO A BUDDHIST DEMOCRATIC STATE OR AN AGNOSTIC DEMOCRATIC STATE? DOES TAKING THIS OATH MAKE YOU JEWISH? DO YOU HAVE TO GET CIRCUMCISED TOO? CAN I EAT PORK AFTER TAKING THIS OATH? WOULD YOU HAVE TO GROW SIDELOCKS AND WEAR PRETTY TASSLES?

The Times Square bomber took a loyalty oath the the US when he received US citizenship, too--then proudly declared in court that he "didn't mean it". All a loyalty oath does is make it easier to strip a naturalized citizen of his citizenship AFTER THE FACT. How useful is that?

The US should pass same law for members of congress to swear an oath and loyalty only to America and nowhere else.

In your TB you imply that whatever your Rabbi Yeshua said, is a given thing, assuming that he actually said it. Please get the following into your thick mind: Palestinians were born THERE! They have the right to remain there, those who left have the right to return, they have no involvement what so ever with your dark history. They didn't kick out the jews six hundred million years ago from the holy land. They have more rights to be there , live with dignity, than immigrants coming form every spot of of this world. Please try to understand that.

The United States of America and most other western countries allow Israeli citizenship (read: dual citizenship) for their nationals provided: 1. citizenship is bestowed not requested (new immigrants have Israeli citizenship bestowed upon them by virture of their Jewishness) and 2. no loyalty is sworn to any other country. If P.M. Mr. Netanyahu (an Americophile) pushes this through most immigrants from the west will simply say "Forget it!" because they aren't interested in giving up their foreign citizenships! P.M. Mr. Netanyahu is preparing to make a huge error!

Jim Crow was my best friend, and Israel is no Jim Crow. Israel is a tiny country trying to survive in a sea of hostility. If this law gives Israel an ounce of help in this direction and makes its Jewish citizens feel a little less helpless, then so be it! My Tex-Mex Burrito Crystal Ball also informs me Obama reelected. It is alI true, I only report the way I see it with 100/100 vision through Al Jazeera colored glasses from 8000 miles away Middle East. BLOODYTHIRSTY SCOT GREATEST EXPERT OF TEX-MEX BURRITOS, ENCHILADAS, FAJITAS, MIDDLE EAST, FAR EAST AND NOW HUMAN RIGHTS IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES!!!!!! DALLAS, TEXAS

Adolf used the term Arian if you remember right...

What happens to those with dual nationality? When accepting citizenship of a foreign country, one takes an oath to uphold the laws & constitution and be loyal to that country. What if this law (swearing allegiance to Israel) puts him/her in conflict with another country's policies/laws?

A pledge of allegiance is required in a number of countries; Switzerland, considered a democratic country, asks for a clean legal record, applicants have to be able to provide for themselver (and their families) and have to pass a language exam.... Definitely makes sense to me R. Saar

"Democrcy for all " sure if your religious, hetrosexual and Jewish . What a load of BS, pledge alligance to the state... Next they will be forcing citizens to be religious .

The thing I think most of the naysayers are missing is that being a Jew is more than just a religion. The Jews, Hebrews, Israelis whatever you want to call us are a people and a nation. We started out as a family that based their identity on believing in the ONE G_d, became 12 tribes that maintained that belief even through generations of slavery, then we were given the Law to rule our nation by and we became a nation, and through mass exodus, and through wars; through entering our land, and then going through numerous exiles and attempted genocides we remain a nation! To swear allegiance to Israel as a Jewish nation is nothing more than swearing allegiance to the G_d of Israel and to the people of the nation of Israel. The G_d of Israel and HIS teachings to the people of Israel is who and what the other major religions in Israel base their misguided and false beliefs on and attempt to gain legitimacy through. The Jewish people had been in exile for 1,812 years! We have been a nation without land but were able to maintain our nation and national identity through our Faith in the ONE true G_d and the Law he gave us to govern our Nation by… again for almost 2000 years; now we have our land back. If you want to live in Israel then you will swear allegiance to the Jewish nation of Yisrael! To become an US citizen you most swear your allegiance to the US and its Constitution… ‘so help you G_d’…. despite what libtards and revisionist like to say in the US the G_d they are referring to in the Oath of Allegiance, on their money, in their Pledge of Allegiance their children say every morning to a flag in school is the Christian G_d based on the G_d of Israel. Israel is a Jewish nation, not a nation of Rabbinic Judaism… but the Hebrew Nation… the Nation of the Sons of Jacob, the Nation of the 12 Tribes. I will pledge my allegiance every day of my life to the Jewish and democratic Israel!

But people are not treated equally in this"democracy". Women are paid less then men for doing the same job, the ultra religious sector has privileged status ,getting more government benefits than the secular counterparts, yet the vast majority of the ultra religious do not work and rely on the secular population to support them. In all other countries the Ultra Religious work full time and find time to study Torah at night. So until all citizens of Israel whether they are Jew, Arab are truly treated equally in all areas of life here in Israel this so called Citizenship Law is a Joke !

today, the for score years ago, to the flage of the USA, stop balbing for something you still practise douhhhhhhh

Almost all Jews whether secular or religious observe the holiest holiday, Yom kipur. The Yom Kippur prayers include a general admission of sins, and each person silently adds his own personal sins. One of the important prayers is Kol Nidrei - All Vows, named after the opening words of the first prayer, which cancels any vows that a person has made. The 20% non-Jewish population don't have to follow the Jewish law EVERY YEAR. Do the marginalized 50% population of Arab (Mizrahi) Jew have to EVERY YEAR?

I agree with PM, every one have to pledge loyalty to Israel knowing that it is Jewish state as well. There are many Arab Israeli Kennest members who are serving the interest of the enemy rather than the best interest of Israel. And these people need to know that democracy is no anarchy. we all should know that the greatest enemy of Israel not those who say we are the enemy but those who claim they are citizen of Israel but they are doing every thing to harm the security and undermining the existence of Israel. These people have to understand the meaning of loyalty and live by the law. We have to say enough is enough about every one who thinks that just because Israel is democratic state, we can do what ever we wanted. Every nation have to live by the law and the greatest law of all is to love, defend and to be loyal to the country we call our self citizens. Israel has to many enemies, we cant just allow the left or those cowards to live understate of anarchy. If we claim ourselves we are citizens of Israel then we should not be afraid of being loyal to state of Israel.

Yet another pathetic notion by the idiots that run this country!! The 'Times Square Bomber' was American born and bred and I'm sure he swore allegiance to America many times, it's called paying LIP SERVICE. Of course this did'nt stop him trying to blow himself ( and at least another 50 people )to kingdom come! It's not what people say it's their actions that make them loyal.This act by the goverment just makes them look even more racist.Saying a few words won't stop extremists full stop.

WILDMAN, Get a grip on yourself. No one is advocating taking anyone's rights away. This is an excellent idea, which should also be adopted by European countries, who have been overrun by moslem thugs, taking advantage of their social benefits and free handouts. This is not only Israel, this should be a pre-requisite for any person who wants to be a law abiding productive citizen of any country. The immigrants who apply for US citizenship, must also swear loyalty to the US. (also a lot of them abuse this by learning how to fly and then crashing their planes into towers and killing 3000 people). If someone wants to be a productive good citizen, there is no reason why he/she would be opposed to this idea.

TIM, You're absolutely right - they should. I believe this is also done when immigrants apply to become US citizens. Great idea - it should also be adopted by all European countries, who have been flooded by large moslem families, taking advantage of their good will and free handouts. Where is the obligation, the duty, in exchange for these rights? Citizenship is not only about receiving benefits, it's also about having obligations toward the country. I would this would be the minimal demand from them, or anyone wanting to be a law abiding citizen.