Israel. Amending the Anti-Discrimination Act gives License to Generic Discrimination against entire groups

By Itzik Itzhak Dessie and Meir Elran

Amending the Anti-Discrimination Act, as proposed in the coalition agreements, gives license to generic discrimination against entire groups. This is a shameful moral failure that damages national resilience – and as such, Israel’s national security. The clause in the coalition agreement that permits discrimination against social groups “in services and entry to entertainment venues and public places” is morally and socially objectionable. The initiative is based on exclusionary bias and reflects the notion that Jewish, white, religious, heterosexual males are superior to all others, and further deepens the rifts and existing polarization of Israeli society. Indeed, the very proposal amounts to a blow against societal resilience and, consequently, national security.