Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin locked horns Sunday over a highly divisive clause in the nation-state bill.
The nation-state bill defines Israel as a "Jewish state with a democratic regime," rather than a "Jewish and democratic state." It requires the state to preserve the country's Jewish character and protect state symbols and sacred Jewish sites according to Jewish tradition. If enacted, it will become one of Israel's basic laws, which have been recognized by the courts as a de facto constitution.
Levin, who heads the special ministerial committee tasked with drafting the law, said Sunday that he plans to introduce the bill for a Knesset reading despite Mendelblit's objections to a clause that allows Jewish communities to exclude non-Jews who seek to move there.
The clause, which the attorney general ruled was discriminatory and should be excluded from the bill, is the only practical measure in the legislative proposal, which comprises mostly declarative articles.
Levin's decision to ignore Mendelblit's recommendation is expected to spark a political firestorm, especially when the coalition partners themselves are still divided over the bill's language.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged last week to ensure that the nation-state bill passes the legislative process by the end of the Knesset's summer session on July 22.
Speaking at a meeting of the coalition faction heads Sunday, Netanyahu stressed that "just as there are bills that are important to you and we [Likud] respect that, this bill is very important to us and you should respect that."
Levin said he plans to meet with the heads of the coalition factions later in the week to discuss revisions that would facilitate passing the bill by the end of next week.
