Jewish and democratic state
Israeli legal definition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"Jewish and democratic state" is the Israeli legal definition of the nature and character of the State of Israel. The "Jewish" nature was first defined within the Israeli Declaration of Independence in May 1948 (see Jewish state and Jewish homeland). The "democratic" character was first officially added in the amendment to Israel's Basic Law: The Knesset, which was passed in 1985 (amendment 9, clause 7A).
Numerous scholars and political observers have debated the definition, particularly whether the terms are contradictory or complementary.[1] According to Israeli author and journalist Yossi Klein Halevi, "Israel is based on two non-negotiable identities. The homeland of all Jews, whether or not they are citizens of Israel, and it's the state of all its citizens, whether or not they are Jews."[2]