The Constitution and the Arab Minority

According to the Israeli Declaration of Independence of 14 May 1948, a constitution was to be drawn up by 1 October 1948. The first elections, held on 29 January 1949, were to elect the members of the constituent assembly. The constituent assembly did not draft a constitution for Israel; thus, the Knesset inherited this task. On 13 June 1950, the Knesset decided, in what came to be referred to as the "Harari resolution," that the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee would prepare a draft proposal of a constitution. The constitution would be formed "chapter after chapter," with each chapter constituting a basic law in and of itself. In this way, the basic laws, as a unit, would one day comprise the state's constitution. Since then, several basic laws were enacted; none of them included a "bill of rights."

In recent years we have witnessed the emergence of voices calling for the adoption of a constitution in Israel. The Constitution, Law and Justice Committee in the Knesset has launched a series of intensive meetings on this issue and the Israel Democracy Institute has published a proposed draft of the constitution.

What is the standpoint of the Arab minority? Do we, as a minority, need a constitution? Are the circumstances favorable for the adoption of an enlightened and democratic constitution in Israel? What is the objective of the initiators of the constitution-making process? Arab and Jewish legislators and experts will discuss these and other questions in a series of debates, initiated by Mada center, beginning on Thursday 10 March 2005.