Created Fri 19th Jun 9:07am PST by 
conspiracy2riot
conspiracy2riot 
Will Israel pass a law banning Palestinian commemoration of Nakba Day?
Background: Bethlehem - Ma’an/Agencies - Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, gave preliminary approval to a bill that would mandate a year jail term for anyone who speaks against Israel’s status as a Jewish state on May 27, 2009.
The bill, which still needs final approval before coming law, passed after a heated debate with a vote of 47 to 34 and one abstention. The measure was originally introduced by Zevulun Orlev, a member of a right-wing religious nationalist party, Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home).
The bill’s passage comes three days after lawmakers advanced a bill that would ban all commemorations of Nakba Day, on which Palestinians, including those who are Israeli citizens, remember their expulsion of 1948.
According to news reports, a Palestinian member of the Knesset, Jamal Zahalka, was removed from the auditorium during an argument after the vote.
During the debate preceding the vote, Chaim Oron, the chair of the left-wing Zionist party Meretz, decried the bill, according to the Ynet news agency: “Have you lost your confidence in the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state? This crazy government - what exactly are you doing? Thought Police? Have you lost it?”
Jamal Zahalka said, also according to Ynet’s report, “Many intellectuals in the academia who talk about a country belonging to all its citizens belong in prison, according to MK Orlev. Arab and Jewish leaders who seek real democracy in Israel also belong in jail, according to Orlev… He wants to put anyone who doesn’t agree with him in jail.”
Will this bill become a law?
Settlement date is fixed.
The bill, which still needs final approval before coming law, passed after a heated debate with a vote of 47 to 34 and one abstention. The measure was originally introduced by Zevulun Orlev, a member of a right-wing religious nationalist party, Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home).
The bill’s passage comes three days after lawmakers advanced a bill that would ban all commemorations of Nakba Day, on which Palestinians, including those who are Israeli citizens, remember their expulsion of 1948.
According to news reports, a Palestinian member of the Knesset, Jamal Zahalka, was removed from the auditorium during an argument after the vote.
During the debate preceding the vote, Chaim Oron, the chair of the left-wing Zionist party Meretz, decried the bill, according to the Ynet news agency: “Have you lost your confidence in the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state? This crazy government - what exactly are you doing? Thought Police? Have you lost it?”
Jamal Zahalka said, also according to Ynet’s report, “Many intellectuals in the academia who talk about a country belonging to all its citizens belong in prison, according to MK Orlev. Arab and Jewish leaders who seek real democracy in Israel also belong in jail, according to Orlev… He wants to put anyone who doesn’t agree with him in jail.”
Will this bill become a law?
Settlement date is fixed.
Settlement details:As reported by a major mainstream news source or MuzzleWatch.org
Forecast history %
| Yes |
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| No |
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Question suspends in 4 weeks
- Activity: H$46,326 |
- Predictions: 33 |
Comments: 2
Suspend date: Fri 25th Dec 9:59am PST (4 weeks to go)
Initial likelihoods: Yes: 55%
Action history:
Created Fri 19th Jun 9:07am PST by conspiracy2riot
conspiracy2riot 
Suspend date: Fri 25th Dec 9:59am PST (4 weeks to go) details 
Get widget!Predictions (33)
nyharel
predicted No (H$336 at 90%)Comments (2)
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/22/israel-cuts-alnaqba-pales_n_242564.html
I would have to assume that if eventually a completely *different* law is passed, the answer to this question would be negative even if that other law also mentioned the word "Nakba".
The reason I'm asking this is because according to
http://www.impunitywatch.com/impunity_watch_middle_eas/2009/07/watered-down-version-of-the-nakba-law-leaves-committee.html
the law proposal mentioned in in this question has been more-or-less abandoned, and instead a new and different (and less insane) law was proposed: Speaking about the Nakba will not be illegal, but the Israeli government will not pass funds to organizations that do it. E.g., schools will not be able to afford to teach about it, if they want government funds, but it will not be illegal to teach about the Nakba if the school can do without governement funds, somehow.
This new proposed law (which also hasn't been officially ratified, either) is a completely different law than what is mentioned in this question, because under it is still perfectly legal to talk about the Nakba. So I belive that if *this* law is the one that passes, this question needs to be settled as "no", not "yes".
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