In a surprise move Wednesday, Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett called for amendments to the recently adopted nation-state law Wednesday, a law that he supported during the legislation process.
Kulanu leader Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said Thursday that "we were reckless. The nation-state law was enacted hastily."
Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, a coalition flagship initiative, was enacted last week after months of heated debates between coalition partners. From the time of its introduction, Bennett was one of the bill's most vocal supporters.
Though largely symbolic, the contentious legislation, which states that "Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it," has been lambasted by Arab lawmakers as "racist" and "verging on apartheid" as it discriminates against Israel's non-Jewish citizens. Currently, 20% of Israel's population is Arab.
On Sunday, Israeli Druze leaders, including three Knesset members, petitioned the High Court of Justice against the law, saying it was an "extreme act of discrimination" against the country's minorities.
In a series of tweets Wednesday, Bennett acknowledged the "damage" the law caused to the Druze community in Israel.
"After speaking with many of our Druze brothers, it has become clear that the manner in which the nation-state law was enacted was particularly damaging to them and to anyone who has tied their fate to that of the Jewish state. This, of course, was not the government's intention," he wrote.
"Israel's Druze citizens are our brothers. They stand with us, shoulder to shoulder, on the battlefield, and they have struck a covenant with us – a covenant of life. The government has a responsibility to find a way to heal the wounds," Bennett added.
A spokesperson for Bennett explained Wednesday that Habayit Hayehudi's leader had received dozens of calls from Druze leaders, who made it clear that the law was deeply offensive to Israel's minorities in general and particularly to their community.
The Druze are a unique religious and ethnic minority among Israeli Arabs. Most Druze men serve in the Israel Defense Forces and members of the community have served and currently serve in top positions in Israeli politics and public service.
Later on Wednesday, Bennett defended his new position, tweeting that while the nation-state law was "necessary" and "just," there was "a specific mistake regarding our Druze brothers that needs to be remedied."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he plans to meet with Druze leaders next week to hear their grievances and allay their concerns.
However, an official at the Prime Minister's Office said that Netanyahu was not considering amending the law.
Druze MK Saleh Saad (Zionist Union) said Netanyahu's move was grossly lacking.
"Bibi's media spins no longer fool us," he said. "We will not remain silent and we will not yield until the nation-state law ends up in the dustbin of history, where it belongs."
