Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics

by Marc Lamont Hill

The Nation-State Law, formally known as Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, stirred a great deal of controversy in Israel and around the world when it was finally approved by the Knesset in July 2018. For staunch supporters of Jewish nationalism, the Nation-State Law codified with sweeping principles what they saw as Israel’s long-standing self-definition: (A.) The Land of Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people, in which the State of Israel was established. (B.) The State of Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, in which it exercises its natural, cultural, religious and historic right to self-determination. (C.) The exercise of the right to national self-determination in the State of Israel is exclusive to the Jewish people.56