Interior Minister Haim Ramon on Sunday proposed scrapping the words "Jewish" and "Arab" off Israeli identity cards as part of the country's secular reforms.
The proposal to end all mention of ethnic affiliation on the cards would need to be approved by the justice ministry and the parliament's legal committee, where support is not assured.
Israeli ID cards classify citizens as Jewish, Arab or by other affiliation for non-Jews from other parts of the world.
Israel dropped precise mention of cardholders' religion several years ago.
Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who was deserted in July by religious parties opposed to his reported concessions to the Palestinians, recently proposed a package of civil reforms to make the Jewish state more secular.
A vast majority of Israelis favor Barak's proposal to permit public transport and the national airline El Al to run on the Sabbath, which runs from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, according to a poll published Friday in the Jerusalem Post.
A slimmer majority also supports Barak's plan to introduce civil marriage for Israelis who do not want religious ceremonies -- JERUSALEM (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
