'Loyalty' oath applies to Jews: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday ordered that a controversial loyalty oath to Israel as a "Jewish state" be amended to apply to both Jews and non-Jews, a statement from his office said.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Justice Minister (Yaakov) Neeman to prepare a government bill that will apply the declaration of loyalty to a Jewish and democratic state also to Jews wanting to become citizens under the Law of Return," the statement said.

A spokesman for the prime minister confirmed that the amendment would mean the loyalty oath would apply to everyone wishing to become a citizen of Israel, and not just non-Jews.

The proposal will be sent for approval by the ministerial legislation committee, the statement said.

The initial proposal approved by the cabinet October 10 was to apply only to non- Jews wanting to apply for citizenship, in a move that was widely condemned as racist by Israel's Arab minority.

Israeli-Arab lawmaker Jamel Zahalka said that Netanyahu's changes did not make the bill less racist, as "it forces Arab citizens to take an oath of allegiance to a Jewish state."

AFP