Israel passes 'Jewish Nation State' law

Interesting article on Israel's new 'Jewish Nation State' law, which gives greater recognition to Jews than to other ethnic groups.

The Palestinian members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, were joined by Jewish liberal lawmakers and about 2,500 demonstrators on Saturday night, in a march through the main streets of downtown Tel Aviv to protest the bill.

A curious element in the discussions leading up to the bill's passage concerned ethnic segregation:

One clause in particluar, 7b, had attracted much concern from Israel's allies and even its president, Reuven Rivlin. Clause 7b would have allowed Jewish-only communities, and said the "state can allow a community composed of people of the same faith or nationality to maintain an exclusive community". 

Never fear, some commentators noted that the subsequent alterations were worse:

7b was removed, with the article concerning Jewish settlement changed to: "The state views the development of Jewish settlement as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment and consolidation" 

Prior to the law’s passing, over 900 locales in Israel – approximately three-quarters of all townships in the country – already forbade non-Jews from living within their municipal borders. 

As an illustration of the attitudes in Israel, the article notes:

In recent weeks, a family of Palestinian citizens of Israel who purchased a home in the northern city of Afula was protested by hundreds of locals, including the former mayor, who told local press, “'the residents of Afula don't want a mixed city, but rather a Jewish city, and it's their right. This is not racism.”

How interesting.

It is not racism to oppose mixed cities (diversity).

That's not what Jews tell Europeans who object to being replaced by masses of third world migrants.