We, the 2018 Heart to
Heart delegation, have come together to express our opposition to Israel's
recently legislated Nation State Bill. We are Jewish and Palestinian youth,
between the ages of 14 and 15 who are all citizens of Israel. We believe in
creating a better future by working together towards a shared society. For the
past three weeks we have been .
participating in a youth delegation in Canada in
order to give hope to the next generation.
After reading and
discussing Israel's Nation State Bill we feel angry and upset. We feel that
the law is unfair. Some
of us feel disappointed, ashamed, frustrated and scared for the future. We are
all opposed to the bill and our different reactions are a reflection of the way
in which this bill will affect our communities in different ways.
Our delegation came to
Canada to address problems of discrimination and inequality in Israel and we
feel that this new law is pointing our society in the opposite direction. We
were especially disappointed to hear about the bill's passing because we had
been in the midst of writing our own version of a constitution, with a very
different emphasis, based on justice and equality and we were feeling hopeful
to continue realizing our vision upon our return home from Canada.
We are offended by the
fact that this law no longer considers Arabic an official language. Arabic is
important to all of us, and to some of us, it is essential. We are concerned
that this bill will cancel an important means of expression.
We are also concerned
that the bill focuses exclusively on Jewish issues. There is no focus on
other identities including Palestinian-Arab identity. We are worried about the
future repercussions of not including Palestinian-Arab identity when
considering the character of the state, especially when Palestinian citizens of
Israel make up more than 20 percent of the population.
Despite this
discouraging moment, we will not lose hope and we will not despair. ln light of
this bill's passing, we commit to continuing to work together as a group to
work towards equality, justice, pluralism and shared society.
-
Heart to Heart 2018
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