“The new law will not withstand the scrutiny of the Supreme Court of Justice,” said Dr. Ahmed Tibbi, a veteran Knesset member, implicitly expressing his trust in the Israeli judicial system and the state’s democracy.

Many Arab members of the Israeli parliament visit enemy countries such as Syria and meet with Palestinian exiles who exert notable influence in the region. This has long exacerbated right-wing Jewish patriots, some of whom became obsessed with what they regard as “outright treason.” The law is the result of a lengthy campaign against said journeys.

The question arises whether we are at the juncture when democracy is being misused against itself. The situation is not dissimilar to how Muslim enclaves in European countries try to enforce their own traditional way of life on the basis of freedom of worship, while that particular kind of worship denies its adherents that same freedom. They subvert existing secular laws and traditions — many of which took centuries to develop.

Indeed, sometimes it may seem that Arab Israeli public servants do everything in their power to sabotage the same state they have been elected to serve and protect. Sometimes it may seem that they truly enjoy it...

I tend to believe that this is merely their way to vent frustration with the dire situation of their people. They have been stripped of all national pride, all chances for a decent life; turning on the oppressor is an understandable emotional reaction (though self-destruction is hardly the solution).

Now the ball is in the court of the judicial system. Latest verdicts, favoring Israeli Arabs, lead one to assume that the Supreme Court will overrule the bill — and rekindle the debate on supposed security breaches in the Israeli legislative branch.

In the meanwhile it is the judicial branch where underprivileged Israelis lead their war for recognition, respect and national identity, winning battle after battle.