Rivlin tells Druze leaders: ‘We must make sure you also feel equal’

29 July 2018, 6:53 pm

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President Reuven Rivlin meets with Druze leaders following their meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the recently passed nation-state law that has drawn the ire of the minority group.

“Our partnership exists at the foundation and basis of this country,” Rivlin says of the Druze community.

“I have no doubt that legally you are equal and we must make sure you also feel equal,” he adds.

In an unusual move for a president, Rivlin sent a letter to lawmakers calling on them to amend the legislation, which defines Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Much of his criticism focused on a since-removed clause allowing members of a religious group or nationality “to establish a separate communal settlement.”