Salmesong i Grimstad og Jerusalem!

Israel should consider altering its anthem to include non-Jews

Israel's Arab citizens are entitled to exercise this right even when it comes to the national anthem: With its current lyrics, 'Hatikva' is not their song.

Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran has the right not to sing the national anthem, "Hatikva." The law doesn't oblige him to do so, and the song's lyrics don't enable him to do so. As a loyal citizen of his country, the justice did not want to betray his conscience during the new Supreme Court president's inauguration by singing a song whose words are alien to every Arab citizen of Israel. And the uproar that erupted following Joubran's refusal damaged the delicate fabric of Israeli democracy far more than his silence did.