The passage by the Israeli Knesset July 19 of the Jewish nationality law has produced different and even contradictory reactions by Palestinians and Israelis.
The law — passed by a small majority of 62-55, with two abstaining — follows the demand by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During his 2009 Bar-Ilan University speech, Netanyahu set two conditions for accepting the two-state solution: that Palestine be a demilitarized state and that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The second condition was totally rejected by Palestinian leaders who argued that it is not the place of Palestinians to decide Israel’s nationality, and that such a recognition by Palestinians is tantamount to giving up the Palestinians’ right of return and that it badly infringes on the rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel who are not Jewish.