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Livni: Jewish state bill goes against Israel's Declaration of Independence

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN

NOVEMBER 17, 2014 14:45

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni on Monday slammed the "Jewish state bill," an initiative to give Israel’s status as a Jewish state legal weight.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for the bill on Sunday, prompting Livni to postpone at the last minute the Ministerial Committee for Legislation’s vote.

Speaking at a faction meeting of her Hatnua party on Monday, Livni said, "The Zionists fought for Israel to be a Jewish and democratic state. Israel has equality for all its citizens. I oppose a democratic state that is not Jewish just like I would oppose a Jewish state that is not democratic."

She said that she postponed deliberations on the bill because it would change Israel's status as a state with equal rights for all its citizens.

"We are not against a Jewish state bill, just against a bill that goes against the declaration of Independence," Livni said.

Livni then read a quote from Likud ideological forebear Ze'ev Jabotinsky about equality "to remind the Likud" what he stood for.

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