Tuesday, June 02, 2009



Israel: Ministers reject loyalty oath bill

We read:
"The Ministerial Committee on Legislation yesterday rejected a bill that would have conditioned Israeli citizenship on a declaration of loyalty to Israel as a Jewish state. The bill, proposed by Yisrael Beiteinu MK David Rotem, would have required applicants for citizenship to pledge loyalty to Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state and to the state’s symbols and values. It would also condition citizenship on either military service or alternative national service.”

Source

I have never been much in favour of pledges of allegiance but they are a common expectation of citizens so this proposal was not unreasonable on the face of it. It was however intended to make Israeli Arabs non-citizens so it would have given Israel's critics a stick to beat it with. Mind you, Israel is so often flailed with false accusations that one wonders if a true one would have made much difference.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, where's the problem? One of the reasons we see so many countries in disarray is because many have done away with any "real" requirements to enter, other than a sob story and a couple of pieces of paper that anyone can make up. The US is a perfect example. Before you know it, your country has been turned into an international public toilet.

Anonymous said...

It should be sufficient to obey the laws of a country. Pledges of allegiance and their requirement can be misused by governments (as the legal implications of their content is ambiguous, and even treason could be invoked).

Anonymous said...

I am a Jewish right wing Zionist and even I found this slightly distasteful. Israel is a democracy, and freedom of speech is a tenet of such a form of government. This idea came from Avi Liberman and his Russian ilk.

Bobby said...

If you want to be a citizen of a country what's wrong with swearing allegiance to the principles of that country?

Anonymous said...

"Principles" are too vague, and therefore the exercise is pointless (unless there some ulterior motive).

Anonymous said...

My, my, my. So swearing allegiance to your own country is now distasteful? I was always under the impression that the people of Israel were very loyal to their country, one of the main reasons it has survived for so long. Is not that kind of loyalty, in a sense, a pledge of allegiance? Is not your country worth that pledge?

Here in Amerika, there was a time when people were proud to pledge their allegiance to this country. In fact, a few still are, though it is now viewed as being politically incorrect. Our country's society has been deliberately diluted, and simply for the political gains of those on the power-hungry Left. Rational people understand that diluting anything only makes it weaker. Amerika being a perfect example.

Bobby said...

"Principles" are too vague, and therefore the exercise is pointless (unless there some ulterior motive)."

---In New Jersey, if you want to work in Education you have to take an oath of allegiance even if you're not a citizen.

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:3C6N8tCYbHEJ:www.nj.gov/njded/educators/license/forms/noncitoath.pdf+%22citizen+oath%22&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a


In America, this is what naturlized citizens have to swear:

""I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.""


Don't you think there's vagueness there?

"I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law"

---What the hell is that? Sounds pretty vague to me.

Anonymous said...

The key words being, "national importance", like private contractors who do national securety work for the govt., and are run by civilians. (Boeing, Lockeed, etc.)