Netanyahu convenes committee on enshrining status of Druze into law

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes for a second time a ministerial committee tasked with passing legislation enshrining the status of the Druze and Circassian minorities into law.

The committee was set up following backlash from the Druze community over a law passed last month recognizing Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.

According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, the ministers discussed barriers to a government plan for the development of Druze and Circassian villages. Netanyahu instructed his chief of staff to meet with the heads of regional council and relevant government ministers on practical steps toward removing these barriers, in particular in housing and employment.

The Prime Minister’s Office does not say which ministers attended the meeting. Only five of 11 member ministers attended the committee’s first meeting, angering Netanyahu.

Earlier this month, tens of thousands of Druze and Israelis took part in a Tel Aviv rally against the nation-state law. The legislation has particularly angered the Druze, who say the law effectively renders them second class citizens. Unlike Arab Israelis, members of both the Druze and Circassian minorities are subject to Israel’s mandatory draft and many serve in top combat units.