by Yair Altman and Shlomo Cesana
Bill by Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett aims to prevent division of Jerusalem under any future peace deal by requiring special majority of 80 MKs
Habayit Hayehudi Chairman
Naftali Bennett
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Photo credit: Oren Ben Hakoon  |
The Ministerial Committee on Legislation on
Sunday unanimously approved a bill mandating a special, 80-MK majority
on any future legislation dividing Jerusalem. The bill was presented by
Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett.
"Twice, the capital city has been saved from
the disaster of division spearheaded by [former prime ministers] Ehud
Olmert and Ehud Barak, who had temporary majorities in the Knesset.
That's over," Bennett said after the committee approved the bill.
"The 'united Jerusalem' bill will prevent any
possibility of Jerusalem being divided. Unity around this will
strengthen our status in the world and prevent future pressure on
Israel," Bennett said.
Habayit Hayehudi faction chairwoman MK Shuli
Mualem-Rafaeli, one of the bill's co-authors, said earlier Sunday that
"given our past experience of two prime ministers who tried to divide
Jerusalem under a dangerous peace agreement, we need to pre-empt any
attack on Israel's capital."
Israel Hayom broke the story of Bennett's bill
last month, which is an amendment to the Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital
of Israel.
Article 6 of the basic law on Jerusalem,
titled "Prohibition of the Transfer of Authority," states that "no
authority stipulated in the laws of the State of Israel or of the
Jerusalem Municipality may be transferred, temporarily or permanently,
to a foreign body, whether political, governmental or to any other
similar type of foreign body."
Article 7 states that the preceding article
"shall not be modified except by a basic law passed by a majority of the
members of the Knesset," meaning a regular majority of 61 lawmakers.
The amendment aims to alter this to 80 MKs.
A senior member of Habayit Hayehudi explained
last month that the bill was intended to strengthen Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu following a shift in U.S. policy after U.S. President
Donald Trump was elected.
"Jerusalem is the heart of the Jewish people. I see the
Trump era as a chance to fortify Jerusalem, so it will never be possible
to divide it again," Bennett said.
Yair Altman and Shlomo Cesana
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=43885
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