JERUSALEM: Israel set a higher threshold on Tuesday for any future vote onceding parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinians, who want the eastern part ofthe city for a future independent state.
The amendment passed by the Israeli parliament to existing legislationraised from 61 to 80 the number of votes that would be required in the120-seat Knesset to approve any proposal to hand over part of the city to“a foreign party”. The amendment, long in the legislative pipeline, comesless than a month after US President Donald Trump angered the Palestinians,Middle East leaders and world powers by recognising Jerusalem as Israel’scapital.
US negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have been frozen since2014 but, if ever resumed, a special Israeli parliament majority to approvehanding over parts of Jerusalem could complicate efforts to reach a peaceaccord. Trump’s December 6 decision touched off protests in the region andthe Palestinians have said Washington can no longer serve as a peace broker.
A US bid to revive negotiations, led by the president’s adviser andson-in-law, Jared Kushner, has so far shown no progress. “The authority torelinquish parts of the land is not in the hands of any Jew, nor of theJewish people,” said Naftali Bennett, head of the far-right Jewish Homecoalition party, which sponsored the legislation.
Palestinian officials were not immediately available for comment on the newamendment, which passed by a vote of 64 to 52. Opposition head Isaac Herzogsaid Jewish Home was leading Israel “toward a terrible disaster”.
The status of Jerusalem is one of the most sensitive issues in thedecades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel captured East Jerusalem inthe 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in a move not recognisedinternationally.
It says the entire city is its “eternal and indivisible” capital.Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future state thatwould also include the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party unanimouslyurged legislators in a non-binding resolution to effectively annex Israelisettlements built in the West Bank.
Political commentators said the decision might bolster right-wing supportfor Netanyahu, who could seek a public mandate in an early election whilehe awaits possible criminal indictments against him on corruptionsuspicions. He denies wrongdoing.
Parliamentary elections are not due until November 2019 but the policeinvestigations in two cases of alleged corruption against Netanyahu andtensions among coalition partners in his government could hasten a poll.Some commentators, pointing to an existing law that already sets a similarhigh threshold for handing over territory in a land-for-peace deal, havesaid Jewish Home was essentially competing with Likud for support among theright-wing base.