Liberman comes out against ‘Jewish state’ bill

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, the head of the Yisrael Beytenu coalition party, voices objections to the so-called Jewish state law.

He says the bill, in its current form, leans toward making Israel a “halachic [Jewish law] state.”

Breaking from the coalition position on the the proposed law, Liberman also expresses concern the bill would compromise the standing of non-Jews living in Israel, “including our friends, the Druze.”

“Our position is it’s better to take the Declaration of Independence, legislate it as a [quasi-constitutional] basic law, and that will resolve all of our problems,” says Liberman, echoing a position held by some opposition parties.

He also comes out against an attempt by the ultra-Orthodox parties to bypass the High Court of Justice with a law on Shabbat closures and says his party will vote against the bill during a Sunday meeting.

But he also says tensions in the coalition over various pieces of legislation is “unnecessary” and the government is working efficiently nonetheless.

Describing the legislative fights as “landmines,” Liberman says the government can defuse the tensions if it works responsibly.

— Marissa Newman