Barak Proposes Alternate Draft to Oath

On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak put forth his own draft amendment to the Citizenship Law, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a spontaneous decision to back a controversial proposal that would require any non-Jew taking Israeli citizenship to swear allegiance to Israel as a "Jewish and democratic state."

Angered by Netanyahu's move to bring the amendment to cabinet for a vote, Labor party ministers said late Wednesday that they expected a new freeze in settlement building as a payoff, Haaretz reported.

Netanyahu had never informed his Labor coalition partners that he had approved Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman's proposal.

Barak called ministers from his Labor Party together on Thursday, and proposed submitting their own draft of a loyalty oath that would reflect the “liberal and open spirit of Israel's declaration of independence.”

According to Barak's version, prospective citizens would be required to say: "I declare that I will be a citizen loyal to the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, in the spirit of the declaration of independence, and I am committed to honoring the laws of the state."

This draft is similar to other loyalty oaths required in various countries.

Barak's office requested that it be made clear the defense minister and his associates were not involved with Neeman's proposal. The defense minister has asked that the other draft be brought to cabinet for discussion on Sunday, together with Neeman's proposal.

Netanyahu's support of Neeman's draft set the tone for a Knesset vote, and was lauded as a victory by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party.

Yisrael Beiteinu is Netanyahu's major coalition partner in Israel’s Knesset.