On 13/9/2018, The General-Manager of al-Zaytouna Centre Prof. Dr. Mohsen Mohammad Saleh participated in the “The Jewish Nation-State Law: Concept and Impact” panel discussion, held by the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad at the Crowne Plaza-Beirut. Saleh delivered a paper entitled, “The Human and Social Impact of the Jewish Nation-State Law.” Other papers were “The Political Impact of the Jewish Nation-State Law,” by Munir Shafiq, “The Required Local and International Efforts to Face the Jewish Nation-State Law,” by Mu‘in Taher, and “The Legal Impact of the Jewish Nation-State Law,” by Mu‘tez Masalkhy. The panel discussion was moderated by Yassir Ali, Palestinian journalist and author.
Saleh said that this law constitutionally consolidates an apartheid regime, which has been implementing governmental policies that contradict with democracy and equality for the past 70 years. Thus, it legitimizes religious and national racism, displacement of the Palestinian people, the prevention of the return of refugees, and Jewish settlement building on all the land of Palestine. Saleh considered the new law a basis for new racist laws, making it impossible for Israel to be a state of all its citizens. It also makes it impossible for Arabs to have the right to self-determination or to seek a binational state, and it subjects the indigenous Arabs to the Jews and to Jewish national, religious and heritage dominance. He added that the abolition of the official status of the Arabic language is a blow to this Arab collective right. The law bars Palestinian refugees from returning and tries to forbid Palestinian family reunification cases. Saleh compared the percentage of Arab families who are living below the poverty line with Jewish families, adding that there is weak Arab presence in government posts, senior, important and technical posts, and in ministries, and others.
Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations, 15/9/2018
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