Israeli legislators have approved a bill that makes it more difficult to divide Jerusalem.
The bill passed early on Tuesday and stipulates that two-thirds support is needed in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, before Israel can relinquish control over any portion of the holy city to a foreign entity, according to local media.
The bill is widely seen as intended to make it more difficult to give up part of Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority, which wants the city’s eastern half to be the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
Minister Elkin's plan (https://t.co/dH9RGWLyPw) to cut off neighborhoods beyond the Barrier from Jerusalem – excising about 1/3 of the city's Palestinian population – will only worsen conditions both inside and outside the city. See our policy paper: https://t.co/VvmeR6q1pi
— Ir Amim Eng (@IrAmimAlerts) January 1, 2018
The bill, backed by Israel’s ruling right-wing coalition, was passed with 64 Knesset members voting in favor and 52 against, according to Haaretz newspaper.
The legislation also seeks to remove Palestinian neighborhoods from the jurisdiction of the current Jerusalem municipality, affecting two Palestinian areas – Kufr Aqab and the Shuafat refugee camp – that are already on the other side of Israel’s separation wall and are systematically neglected, the report noted.
Most Palestinians in Jerusalem hold permanent resident status, not Israeli citizenship, and their status can be revoked at any time for multiple reasons, forcing them to leave the city.
Israeli cabinet to vote on bill that would permit expulsion of Palestinians from Jerusalem https://t.co/f7jynFBvo5 #News #Bibleprophecy #Truth #Knowledge #Wisdom #Economist #Endtimes
— Clinton Kowach (@clintonkowach) December 24, 2017
“The new Jerusalem law is a race law; it’s a law meant to cleanse Jerusalem of its Arab residents,” Israeli legislator Esawi Freige said during the vote on the bill, according to Haaretz. “After the Israeli government chose to erect a wall within Jerusalem, now it is seeking to remove 100,000 of its residents from the city.”
Jerusalem has been in the spotlight in recent weeks, after President Donald Trump ignored multiple warnings and declared that the United States would recognise the city as the capital of Israel.
(Aljazeera, Social Media)
