Prime Minister Netanyahu at his government's weekly cabinet meeting, in Jerusalem. Photo: Screenshot.

JNS.org – The Israeli cabinet on Sunday voted in favor of “Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People,” legislation that cements Israel’s status as a Jewish state.

The bill, whose opponents included Yesh Atid party head Yair Lapid and Hatnuah party head Tzipi Livni, states that Israel is the national home of the Jewish people and a place where Jews have the historical right to realize their aspiration for self-determination. Additionally, that right to national self-determination in Israel is unique to Jews, the legislation says.

“Israel is a Jewish and democratic state. There are those who wish to see the democratic aspect overshadow the Jewish aspect, and there are those who wish to see the Jewish aspect overshadow the democratic aspect. The principles of the bill that I present here today ensure that these two values are equal and are given equal consideration,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before the bill’s passage.