The Jewishness of the Jewish State

As recently reported, some Arab Israeli citizens have called for Israel to not be defined as a Jewish state but rather as a "consensual democracy for both Arabs and Jews."

The movement stems from the feelings of some Israeli Arab citizens who claim that Israel discriminates against its non Jewish citizens, from the nations symbols to disbursement of public services to overall opportunities.

I can sympathize with the Israeli Arabs. On the one hand, many live lives much better than there Palestinian brethren. Their quality of life on the whole is much better than most Arabs in the Middle East. Many more opportunities (jobs, education, exposure to the West) are afforded to Israeli Arabs than other Arabs.

That being said, Israeli Arabs often do feel as either being left out of the mainstream Israeli culture or, to a greater extreme, even as second class citizens, suffering from discrimination. Israel must rectify this.

But the basic premise of the "The Future Vision of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel", that the Jewish nature of Israel should be replaced with a model "akin to the Belgian model for Flemish- and French-speakers, involving proportional representation and power-sharing in a central government" is not the answer.

The Jewishness of Israel must be kept in perpetuity. Jewish critics have argued that this model "negates Israel's legitimacy and raison d'être as the realization of Jewish self-determination."

The Israeli Declaration of Independence promises full equality in social and political rights to all inhabitants, irrespective of religion, race or sex, and Israel's Arab citizens participate in the country's democratic process. It is through these existing documents that Israel must more fully integrate Israel's Arab citizens. She need not follow a new document that threatens Israel's Jewish character.