Academic Paper: The Jewish Nation State Law and the Right of Return of the Palestinian Refugees (Arabic)

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Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations has published an academic paper by Sabir Ramadan, entitled “The Jewish Nation State Law and the Right of Return of the Palestinian Refugees: Researching the Origin of the Law, and Foreseeing the Future,” in Arabic.

The paper analyzes the impact of the “Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People,” passed by the Knesset on 19/7/2018, on the refugees and right of return. It is the result of a series of racist Israeli laws and policies that formed the features of the sixth wave of the rise of the Zionist movement.
This study includes a vast range of academic and historical opinions and positions on the impact of the Jewish Nation State Law on refugees and the right of return. It also discusses the historical context of the law, in order to understand and anticipate the future.

Ramadan pointed out that this law has colonial connotations, political reasons and legal dimensions. It can only be changed by a basic law, and this requires an absolute majority. He added that studying future scenarios in light of the continued existence of the Jewish Nation State Law seems to be without a practical or logical future for two reasons: First, Israel and its historians consider that any future Palestinian state should only be a part of a plan that would preserve their Jewishness and the Jewishness of their state. Second, historically, Israel has not changed its laws since 1950, and this indicates that Israel persists on rejecting the right of return, regardless of the composition of the ruling class.