The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) was shaken by and strongly condemns the ministerial approval of a preliminary draft bill, which would make it illegal to hold public events or ceremonies marking Israel’s Independence Day as a ‘Nakba’ or catastrophe for the Palestinian people. According to the bill, which was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday (May 25), those found in violation could face up to three years in prison.
ACRI President and renowned author Sammi Michael said in response, “In the past year, we have witnessed a worrying deterioration in the protection of freedom of speech and the defense of democratic values. Marking the Nakba does not threaten the safety of the State of Israel, but is rather a legitimate and fundamental human right of any person, group or people, expressing grief at the face of a disaster they experienced”.
Michael noted that the approval of the proposed bill reflects disturbing trends in Israel, which “extend far beyond the issue of the legitimate rights of the Arab minority. It crushes the moral boundaries we have set for ourselves and points to the surest way to brutal oppression of everyone’s freedom of speech”.
Though the ministerial approval is only a preliminary step, as the bill must first undergo Knesset approval before being passed as a law, the support of the bill within the government should be seen “as a sign of a democracy losing its bearings”, said Hagai El-Ad, ACRI’s Executive-Director. “A violation of a fundamental right such as freedom of expression undermines the basis on which a democracy stands”.
El-Ad added that looking back at recent anti-democratic initiatives in Israel, such as attempts to ban Arab parties from participating in parliamentary elections, Avigdor Lieberman’s ‘No Loyalty – No Citizenship’ election campaign, and the Loyalty Oath Bill, it is clear that the proposed Nakba law is one more step in a lamentable process that distances Israel from the values of democracy, a process that Israeli citizens should do everything in their power to curb.
