Israel Deems Land-use Rules of Zionist Icon 'Discriminatory' (America, Jewish)

[Pah]

Complete article

In a landmark decision, Israel's attorney general ruled last week that one of the fundamental tenets upon which the Jewish state was built — acquiring and reserving land for Jews to live on — is discriminatory and should not continue with state assistance.

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz was responding to a Supreme Court case involving Jewish National Fund, an organization that helped build the Jewish state by purchasing land for Jewish settlement — largely with funds donated by Jews in America. Land owned by the fund is designated as public land and leased by the government to homeowners. In his January 26 ruling, Mazuz said that the government may no longer market the land if the fund allows only Jewish tenants.

Beyond the consequences for JNF, the attorney general's ruling could be pivotal in a larger debate over how to reconcile Israel's status as a Jewish state with its commitment to equal rights for all its citizens. This is not the first case in which the government's treatment of Israeli Arabs has been challenged, but legal experts say this case could be a breakthrough for advocates of Israeli Arab rights, who have long complained of unequal government treatment.

Aside from debates over land rights, citizenship rights are the other main arena in which Israel's treatment of its Arab citizens faces challenges. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing a challenge to a recent Israeli law that bars non-Jewish spouses of Israeli citizens from coming to live in Israel under family reunification policy.

American evangelicals won't like this - it just might delay the second coming of Chirst. Look for support in that camp for the Jewish homeland