Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz will advance a basic law to anchor the standing of the Druze society in the State of Israel, they announced on Saturday night.

The announcement comes two weeks after Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to amend the Nation-State Law to ensure equal rights to Israel’s minorities.

Controversial Nation-State Law
The Nation-State Law was passed five years ago and is the only law that characterizes Israel as a Jewish state. The law has always been controversial because while it details the characteristics that make Israel a Jewish nation, it fails to address the standing of non-Jewish minority citizens or ensure their equal rights.

Tarif’s request was made a month after Hamas’s October 7 attack which launched the Swords of Iron war in which many Druze soldiers have fought and some have lost their lives.