This week Yisrael Beiteinu tabled a bill that would require
anyone applying for Israeli citizenship to take an oath (or
declaration) of loyalty to the State.
According to the proposal, those born in Israel and those
requesting citizenship for a minor would have to take the
oath when applying for an ID card. According to the proposal
the Interior Minister would be authorized to revoke the
citizenship of any individual who did not serve in the IDF or
in an alternative framework.
The proposed declaration of loyalty reads as follows: "I
pledge to be loyal to the State of Israel as a Jewish,
Zionist and democratic state, to its symbols and values, and
to serve the state in any way demanded of me, through
military service as defined by the Security Service Law or an
alternative form of service as determined by law."
According to the explanatory material for the proposed law,
"The bond between citizenship and the State is a bond that
cannot be broken...In recent years it has been found that
citizens in the State of Israel who owe their loyalty are not
in fact loyal to the State."
MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni voiced staunch opposition to the
proposed law. "This is a wholly anti-democratic proposal. We
do not live in a communist regime or a totalitarian regime.
To legislate a law requiring a citizen to declare loyalty is
a delusional proposal. This is not a case of an officeholder,
such as an MK a minister or a judge. A citizen is a citizen
with his rights and obligations. This has a bad smell to it
and it won't pass."
