THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - July 20, 2018 - Topic 2
Dangerous law: on
Israel’s ‘nation state’ law
The ‘nation state’ law
passed by Israel’s Parliament amid strong
protests by Opposition lawmakers, has raised concerns about its commitment to
peace in the region. The legislation, which will become one of Israel’s
powerful Basic Laws that have constitutional status, lays down that “Israel is
the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to
national self-determination in it”. The law strips Arabic, the first language
of 1.8 million citizens, of its national language status; states that
Jerusalem, “whole and united”, is its capital; and vows to “promote and
encourage” the establishment and consolidation of Jewish settlements, which it
sees as a national value.
Supporters of the Bill say it is aimed to boost
Israel’s Jewish identity and will not discriminate against minorities. But the
reality looks more complicated in Israel and the occupied territories. As it
is, the Arab community, which makes up a fifth of Israel’s population, faces
discrimination when it comes to opportunities and rights. The Israeli right’s
anti-minority politics is no secret. By providing exclusive right to national
self-determination only to the Jewish people and by downgrading Arabic’s
status, the law sends a clear message. For decades, the Israeli far-right
sought Jewishness as the ethnic religious character of the state. The new Basic
Law sets the stage for that transition, challenging the basic concepts of
equality, which even Israel’s declaration of independence promised to all its
inhabitants. Arab MPs have called the legislation racist and a form of apartheid
aimed at creating two systems within one country.
The emphasis on Jerusalem and the promise to
promote settlements pose a direct threat to any peace process with the
Palestinians. Jerusalem remains a disputed territory, with Palestinians seeing its eastern part as the capital of their
future state. Israel’s claim over the city remains a key point of dispute
between the two sides. Besides, if Israel sees Jewish settlements as a national
value and continues to promote them in the Palestinian territories, it cannot
command confidence when it says it is still committed to the two-state
solution. The law further erodes the credibility of Israel’s professed support
of an independent Palestinian state. Israel has just passed two other pieces of
legislation — one places limits on Palestinians under occupation in accessing
Israel’s High Court, and the other bans individuals and groups seeking
political action against the country or the prosecution of Israeli soldiers
abroad, from entering Israeli school premises. Together, these laws allow the
Israeli state to institutionalise discrimination against the minorities at
home, deepen occupation in the Palestinian territories and stifle even the
limited rights of the Palestinians living under occupation.
Vocabulary
Concern: a
matter of interest or importance to someone.
Example: Oil
reserves are the concern of the Energy Department
Synonyms: responsibility, business, affair, charge, duty, job, province, preserve
Exclusive: restricted
or limited to the person, group, or area concerned.
Example: The
couple had exclusive possession of the condo
Synonyms: sole, unshared, unique, only, individual, personal, private
Complicate: make
something more difficult or confusing by causing it to be more complex.
Example: Middlemen
can complicate the process
Synonyms: make
(more) difficult, make complicated, mix up, confuse, muddle
Determination: firmness
of purpose; resoluteness.
Example: He
advanced with an unflinching determination
Synonyms: resolution, resolve, willpower, strength
of character, single-mindedness
Inhabitant: a
person or animal that lives in or occupies a place.
Example: Fluttering
inhabitants occupy birdcages at either side of the porch.
Synonyms: resident, occupant, occupier, dweller, squatter, settler, local
Transition: the
process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.
Example: Students
in transition from one program to another
Synonyms: change, passage, move, transformation, conversion, metamorphosis
Emphasis: special
importance, value, or prominence given to something.
Example: They
placed great emphasis on the individual's freedom
Synonyms: prominence, importance, significance, value, stress, weight, accent
Dispute: a
disagreement, argument, or debate.
Example: A
territorial dispute between the two countries
Synonyms: debate, discussion, disputation, argument, controversy, disagreement
Credibility: the
quality of being trusted and believed in.
Example: The
government's loss of credibility
Synonyms: trustworthiness, reliability, dependability, integrity, reputation, status
Discrimination: the
unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things,
especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
Example: Victims
of racial discrimination
Synonyms: prejudice, bias, bigotry, intolerance, unfairness, inequity
