Yesterday, a bomb exploded near the Jerusalem central bus station. It killed one person and injured 39 people. The result of such a bomb, however, goes well beyond the people that were physically affected by it. This is the first attack after seven years of relative peace in Jerusalem, and a lot of people were reminded yesterday of the violence of the second intifada. The Israeli PM declared after the attacks that there will be a response.
These declarations came the same day the Knesset passed two controversial laws about the Arab minority in the country. The first law relates to the day known as "nakba"(or the day of the catastrophe), which is celebrated the same day as Israel's independence. This day commemorates the people that died and the over 700,000 displaced people that resulted from the end of the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948-49. The new law will impose fines on towns and organizations that commemorate this day.
The second law approved the use of a sort of admission's committee for people that want to live in small "Jewish" towns in the Negev and Galilee. These committees will have to option of rejecting prospective residents, if they are found to not be suitable for the town. The law has been criticized as giving people the right to discriminate against the minorities in the country, mainly Arabs, but also secular families, Christians, gays or single women.
So what happens now? Two days ago, six Palestinians died in Gaza. Yesterday, a bomb went off in Jerusalem and these two controversial laws were passed. What will happen today?
Makes me wonder, in this climate of unrest and retaliation, how can we expect to negotiate a solution anytime soon?
These declarations came the same day the Knesset passed two controversial laws about the Arab minority in the country. The first law relates to the day known as "nakba"(or the day of the catastrophe), which is celebrated the same day as Israel's independence. This day commemorates the people that died and the over 700,000 displaced people that resulted from the end of the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948-49. The new law will impose fines on towns and organizations that commemorate this day.
The second law approved the use of a sort of admission's committee for people that want to live in small "Jewish" towns in the Negev and Galilee. These committees will have to option of rejecting prospective residents, if they are found to not be suitable for the town. The law has been criticized as giving people the right to discriminate against the minorities in the country, mainly Arabs, but also secular families, Christians, gays or single women.
So what happens now? Two days ago, six Palestinians died in Gaza. Yesterday, a bomb went off in Jerusalem and these two controversial laws were passed. What will happen today?
Makes me wonder, in this climate of unrest and retaliation, how can we expect to negotiate a solution anytime soon?
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