Why is it not law now?

if the Arabs dont like it... GET OUT!!

We need to cement all these institutions into law before the next election. Sadly after the next election there will probably be quite a few liberals and members of the hard left in government and I imagine alot of them are going to want to try and show how different they are from the previous government by passing as many anti nationalist bills. Show they are true liberals who dream of a multi cultural socialist state free from religion. I am sure Yair Lapid would like to get rid of anything that hints JEWISH state. A nice religion free socialist state I is just his sort of thing. I hope this bill passes

We need to demand a constitution and have our rights set clearly. I am an 3rd generation Israeli, each person in my family is Jewish and does every holiday except I am not religious and do not. I am still considered a Jew by blood, we all know this is our homeland - there is no reason to create a law in order to get the Haridims to hate those who arent Jewish more and to get those who arent Jewish to hate us. A country can NOT be based upon religion - we must accept every Israeli's religion whether it is Judaism, Christianity, Muslim, Atheism or Buddhism. Don't forget that OUR country, the holiest of all is important to all three main religions. Passing this law is ridiculous.

This "JEWISH STATE BILL" I think needs complementary laws such as: 1) Establishing or seeking to establish an NGO, a political organization, a political party, a political think tank or even a terrorist organization inside Israel, with the explicit aim to delegitimize Israel's Jewishness is strictly forbidden and will be regarded as an act of high treason. The punishment for high treason should be decided by the Knesset, not by me, but three alternatives: life imprisonment, death sentence or losing one's citizenship and being forced to leave the country within an x or y amount of time. If the same person who has been stripped of his/her citizenship attempts to return to Israel it will be regarded as a crime as well. 2) It is strictly forbidden to have a second official language in Israel - Hebrew is the only official language in Israel. Latin letters will be used as before to alleviate conditions for visitors. 3) It is strictly forbidden for minorities to maintain non-Hebrew names on the cities/towns in which they live. 4) It is strictly forbidden to conduct one's personal or national religious traditions in a fashion that disturbs daily life, the well being and comfort of its citizens or in any other way causes irritation or loud disturbing noises. In other words: it will be forbidden to shout "allah akbar" in mosques - they simply have to rely on their watches. There will be no calls or shouts from the minarets. 5) Minorities are requested by law to attend Israeli schools no matter if the Israeli schools are state owned or privately owned. Israeli schools must follow the minimum criteria and requirements to be fully operating schools with license. 6) It is a crime to: burn Israeli flags, to burn Jewish/Israeli national/ethnic/cultural/religious symbols or to call for death or destruction of Jews and Israel explicitly or implicitly, on the streets, at demonstrations, in newspapers, on television, at universities, in school, in legal courts, at public places, in the Knesset, in the Supreme Court or any other state institution. 7) Every Member of the Knesset, every Member of the Supreme Court, every Member of the Armed Forces, the Police, the Intelligence and indeed every citizen MUST UNCONDITIONALLY BY LAW express loyalty to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, the national, ancient, historical, present, and future homeland of the Jewish people. Failure to do so will result in you losing your citizenship. Once you have expressed loyalty to the Jewish state of Israel, you must do so a second time in the IDF, in the Knesset, in the police and so on.

before realizing that an 8 mile wide Israel is the stupidity of naivette?

What took so long, get this passed and fire all the supreme Judges.

and probably anywhere else, other than an Arabic speaking country.

Enough of religious coercion.

im also jewish by law, but i consider my self a human, and i dont think israel needs to be defined by religion any more,

This Knesset has passed the largest number of "insuring the nature of the Jewish State" laws ever! (My psychologist would say they are insecure!) At the same time this Knesset has successfully ignored the needs of the Jewish nation they so jealously wish to guard with the laws they are passing. So what is this all about?

Especially for us Jews, whom too much of the world is intent on destroying as history and current events have shown. It is NOT A THREAT to ANYONE to make such declarations: the re-establishment of Israel had it's roots in securing a "Jewish" state for the Jewish People that was safe, secure and defensible, all in light of the worlds horrendous behavior towards the Jews. This law should have been enacted before any other, years ago. If anyone has a problem with it, too bad: most nations have some defining statement about themselves. It's legal and maintains cultural integrity WITHOUT prejudice at all. It's time for the world to grow up and accept the Jewish State.

those negating our country as a home for all Jews. those negating our claim to the country and our ownership of this land. those negating the definition of Israel as a JEWISH state. those are the enemies of our country.

As the drafters of the legislation said, the stated purpose of this bill is to protect Israel from the aspirations of those who would try to change Israel from the homeland of the Jewish people into just another Muslim Arab-majority hellholes like the 22 others that surround Israel. Israel is a light shining in a sea of darkness; this bill helps keep that light shining.

..ulterior motives. Arabs and non-Jews are NOT Israelis. Jews are Israelis. Israelis are Jews. It is the same physical tribe - only different names. In the same way "sparkling white wine" and champagne are the same. Arabs and non-Jews are merely citizens of Israel - they are not Israelis. Israeli to me is entirely a question of ethnicity and not citizenship. If the whole idea of Israel is to be "everybody's homeland" you have missed the point. It is a JEWISH country - by race, by blood, by history, by majority and demographics and by law. I do not want any multicultural society. Arabs, Moslems, Christians and others are welcome to live in Israel - AS TINY ALMOST NON EXISTENT MINORITIES 100% LOYAL TO OUR JEWISH COUNTRY. OTHERWISE: NO. Yes, we will have a constitution that will preserve our identity and history and our right to be free Jewish men, women and children in our homeland - our JEWISH HOMELAND. You should be less concerned about Jews wanting to remain Jews and be more concerned keeping Israel Jewish by expelling the Arabs - that way you honor the fact that you are a "3rd generation sabra". If your forefathers had your mentality you would not exist today. You are disgrace to my country. If you don't like it, if Israel means nothing to you, who is forcing you to stay?

Kol Hacavod, Alexander ! You have said it better and deeper to the point, then any of the statesmen, would. Yasher Koach !

You are 100% correct. According to Scripture, the Chosen People are called the Children of Israel. The Jews are as much Israel as they were in the days of King David. The strangers who dwell among you might not be tiny, nor almost non-existent. Remember your hospitality to strangers is connected to remembering you were strangers in eretz Mitzrayim, and remember too that Ha'Shem multiplied you (Exodus 1:7-12). There might be - or become - lots and lots of strangers that dwell among you. Especially as Ha'Shem tends to give His people more of what blesses them, and people who are not only loyal to, but willing to defend Jewish Israel are a blessing. As for the enemies who dwell in your midst, I believe they will be driven out from among you. I'm not finding it in Scripture and I need to send this and log off, but perhaps someone can pick up from there. Be blessed, Baruch Ha'Shem!

Who's a Jew, who's not? Is the law will refer to only halachic Jews? What about those whose fathers only are Jewish? What about converts? What about those who don't have papers proving their Judaism? What about non-Jewish children born in Israel from non Jewish parents? What about Jews who just don't care being Jews because religion is not part of their personality and everyday life? What will happen to those people?

This is one step closer to no more democracy. Maybe change the name to "Iranael" after, because this is just going to introduce more laws supressing the minorities in Israel. Just like the reasons you condemn Iran. Ironic, or should I say Iranic.

They are called Gerim, after they converted to Judaism. With respect to these, Torah assigns equal laws as to any other Jew, with the exception that a Ger can't marry a Cohen or become a King. The benign resident non-Jews are named as Ger Toshav. For them, the laws were different, for example one could lend to or receive from a Ger Toshav an interest-bearing loan.

As there is a wall between church and state in the US, and this is heavily pushed by Jews here, this should bar any US foreign aid to the overtly Jewish state. The billions of savings are badly needed.

Heil Alex! Let's go futher. Anyone who eats non-kosher food is a traitor! Anyone who watches rotten foreign movies or reads rotten foreign books is a traitor! Anyone who thinks different is a traitor! Heil!

Thank you for this voice of normalcy here. Somehow most of the commenters are very far-right, and I hope that is not the real proportion in our country

They will be required to carry a yellow patch on their clothing.