Bennett: If 'Jewish state bill' does not pass, there will be no coalition government

The chairman of The Jewish Home Party, Naftali Bennett, has said that his party would not remain in the coalition government if the bill stating that Israeli is a “nation-state of the Jewish people” does not pass into law, Sama News Agency reported.

Bennett accused Justice Minister Tzipi Livni of acting unilaterally by refusing to bring the bill to a vote on Sunday in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, which she heads.

According to the Jerusalem Post, coalition chairman Ze’ev Elkin of the Likud Party drafted the bill, which Livni says is undemocratic because it discriminates against non-Jews.

However, Bennett said that the bill has to be approved because it is part of the coalition agreement signed prior to the formation of the current government.

For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the legislation would, in fact, pass, arguing that: “only the Jewish people have national rights in Israel, and that needs to be anchored in law. I will make sure this bill passes.”