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The Nation State Law that the Israeli Knesset passed on May 1st, 2018, has sparked the criticism of Arab citizens who consider the bill racist and discriminatory against their language. Attempts to deprive Arabic of its official status are not new; they started in the early 1950s when Arabic represented the language of the Palestinian majority. Although these attempts had failed until the passing of the new law, state policies continued to subjugate Arabic speakers and marginalize their language. This law presents yet another ideological challenge to the Arabic language through the divestiture of its official status, a loss of self-determination for Arabic speakers, and the imposition of Hebrew as the sole official language of Israel.
This article focuses on the sociolinguistic aspect of the issue by highlighting the status of Arabic in Israel vs. Hebrew (as a symbol of the "Jewish and the Zionist character" of the state), as confirmed in the provision of the Nation-State Law.
The Nation-State Law
The bill states that "the State of Israel is the national homeland of the Jewish people" and emphasizes "the historical relationship between the Jewish people and their land," as stated in the "Declaration of Independence" and the "Law of Return."
The provisions of the law state that the right to self-determination and the expression of identity and identification with national symbols apply only to Jews, and that Hebrew is the only language recognized by the state. Arabic is stripped of its official status and becomes secondary while granting it a special status and ensuring its speakers access to state services in the language.1
Arab Reaction
Arab citizens reject the law because it aims to abolish the Arab identity and the collective rights of the Palestinian people. The law establishes the superiority of Jewish identity as the constitutional basis for legislation, marginalizing and excluding the legal status of Palestinian Arab citizens and depriving them of any legislative privileges.
The Concept of "Official Language"
The specific meaning of the term "official" (rishmi in Hebrew) is related to the definition of the term by government institutions. An official language is a language used by the Government and elevated by the authority of the State. It is the language of internal communication to and from the government, as...