Proposal to declare Hebrew Israel's sole state language

[Harold F. Schiffman]

MK proposes declaring Hebrew the sole state language
By Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondent

MK Arieh Eldad (National Union) suggested doing away with Arabic's status
as an official language of Israel on Tuesday, angering Arab Knesset
members. Hebrew and Arabic are both designated as official languages of
Israel. In a proposed law put before the Knesset in honor of Hebrew
Language Day, MK Eldad suggested that only Hebrew would enjoy this status.

One practical effect of the law would be to establish that all street
signs must be printed in Hebrew. Under the proposed law, local authorities
in areas where most residents do not speak Hebrew would be able to add the
population's language to signs to aid comprehension. However, they would
not have the right to replace the Hebrew signage with an alternate
language. The proposed law would require Hebrew to be the principal
language of study in the education system, and schools would be obligated
to ensure that the public understood it. Schools in the Arab sector would,
however, be permitted to conduct studies in Arabic.

In a speech explaining the proposed law, MK Eldad said that it created a
clear and proper balance between Hebrew's status as state language, and
the interests and needs of the speakers of other languages, including the
Arab public. "MK Eldad lives in a bubble of transfer," MK Issam Makhoul
(Hadash-Ta'al)  said in a response to the proposed law. "He transfers Arab
citizens and their right to speak, and now he wants to transfer Arabic
from its status as a second official language."

He added that the polish of MK Eldad's remarks should not be allowed to
blur their threatening nature. "This thinking flows from a racist and
anti-Arab outlook," he said.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/523041.html