Anti-Zionists and members of the radical Left, led by and with the funding of the New Israel Fund, are using the Druze to harm Israel's image. While there can, of course, be differences of opinion on the nation-state law, the New Israel Fund and the organizations it supports are unfortunately helping certain members of the community intensify the protests. The Left wants to return to power and these radical organizations exploit the Druze community to this end. Why have Arab lawmakers and members of the Joint Arab List remained silent? Because the Druze and their representatives who are speaking out against the nation-state law are doing their work for them.
Since the state's founding, we have raised our children on Zionism. The silent majority of the Druze population in Israel loves this country. We have been partners with the people of Israel from the days of Moses, through the Zionist movement and the establishment of the state, and we will continue to be partners in the future.
Many of the lawmakers in the Knesset were elected by the innocent people who in 2011 protested the rising prices of cottage cheese. These protests, which soon focused on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's supposed corruption, are now leading the Druze community to protest the nation-state law.
It is truly a shame that in its lust for power, the Left is willing to destroy the Jewish state.
In Israel, only the Jewish people have national rights. The nation-state law defines the character of the state. It does not legislate civil inequality.
As a people, we Druze do not have nationalist aspirations. We want to live together with the Jews. As far back as 2,000 years ago, Jews in the Diaspora have sung the Song of Ascents (Psalm 126) and dreamed of Zion. The Jewish people could have ended up in Uganda, but they have a deep connection to this land. I do not have a problem with the nation-state law because it does not define rights but the character of the state, the national anthem, the flag, symbols and official holidays. Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People was legislated to complement the existing Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom.
If we as citizens demand another people be added to the nation-state law, the legislation will fail and Israel will cease to be Jewish. It is at that moment that Israel will become a state of all its citizens, a move that could actually threaten us as a minority. It should be enough to look over our northern border to see what happens to minorities in Syria.
