Mohammed Mar'i Saudi Gazette RAMALLAH — A centrist member of Israeli parliament (Knesset) Sunday proposed changing the words of Israel's national anthem ‘Hatikva' to solve the problem of its Arab colleagues. Ruth Calderon, of Yesh Atid (There is Future) party, said that “I was very sorry to hear that the Arab members of Knesset left before ‘Hatikva' was sung.” “Does someone know of a way to alter the words so that they will include all citizens of Israel?” she asked on her Facebook page. The anthem's current words speak of the “Jewish spirit” and the historic Jewish longing to return to the land of Israel. On Tuesday, several Arab MKs left the Knesset after taking their oath to avoid being present as he anthem was sung during the 19th Knesset inaugural session. “I left before the anthem played because it does not speak to me,” Hanin Zo'bi of Arab Balad party said. “As an Arab woman born in this country, the anthem oppresses me and humiliates me,” Zo'bi said. Eli Yishai, Israeli Interior Minister of Ultra-Orthodox Shas party, expressed horror at Calderon's proposal. “I was shocked to hear this morning that there is an idea from Yesh Atid, on the social networks, to leave the word ‘Jew' out of the anthem Hatikva so that the Arab MKs do not need to leave when the anthem is sung.” “Yes, we have our disagreements with Yesh Atid, but there are things I thought were undisputed – (such as) the state of Israel being a Jewish state,” the rightist Israeli Channel 7 television quoted Yishai as saying. “To whoever needs an update: we are a Jewish state!” he added. “Not with a bowed head, but with our head held high!” “I doubt that Yesh Atid voters hoped their party would strive to change the identity of the state,” the minister said. Arab authorities inside Israel have threatened that they will declare civil revolt if Israeli government forced Arab students to sing the anthem in addition to encourage military service and to ban teaching of Nakba (catastrophe). Hala Isbanyouli, chairwoman of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee's education committee, said then that “forcing the anthem on Arab students is a kind of rape.” She added that “if there is an attempt to force the Hatikva anthem on Arab schools and Arab pupils, it will akin to a kind of attempted rape of their identity.”
