Become a Member
World

Israel's new Nation State law undermines chances of Palestinian peace, Egypt says

Foreign Ministry says the law has ramifications for 'occupation and racial segregation'

July 22, 2018 14:04
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset on Wednesday night, during a debate on the Nation State bill
1 min read

Egypt has criticised a new Israeli law that gives Jewish people the exclusive right to self-determination, saying it undermined the chances for peace with the Palestinians.

The passage of the Nation State law in the early hours of Thursday morning was hailed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “defining moment”.

He said at the time: "122 years after Herzl made his vision known, with this law we determined the founding principle of our existence. Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people, and respects the rights of all of its citizens."

But the law was criticised as regressive by the Palestinian Authority and European Union, as well as Jewish groups outside of Israel including the Board of Deputies of British Jews.