Ministers unanimously approve 'united Jerusalem' bill - Yair Altman and Shlomo Cesana

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 | 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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