Israel’s Ministerial Legislative Committee will vote Sunday on whether or not to annex 19 settlements which would become part of Jerusalem.
CBN News reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports the measure. If the legislation passes the Legislative Committee, it will go before the Knesset, Israel’s legislative body, for approval.
In 1949, boundaries were set in Jerusalem at what is called the Armistice Demarcation Line. Israeli settlements are not allowed outside this boundary. However, this boundary was reportedly not meant to be permanent.
Support for the new bill is pretty well divided between party lines. As CBN News reports, the language of the bill has already been reworded to say the outlying communities will be “added to Jerusalem,” rather than “annexed to Israel.”
"In this way a population will be added to Jerusalem that would enable a demographic balance and provide land for additional housing, commerce and tourism," the bill also states.
According to the bill’s abstract, its purpose is to reclaim the importance of Jerusalem for the Israeli people.
"The concept of Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the State of Israel, has been eroded, it has lost its symbolism and has been broken down into issues of demography and current political realism vis-à-vis the Palestinian determination to control Jerusalem and its holy places.
"It is therefore proposed that the communities surrounding Jerusalem be made part of it. This way, Jerusalem would absorb population that would allow it to maintain its demographic balance, as well as many areas that would allow for residential, commercial and tourist expansion while maintaining the city's green lungs."
Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
Publication date: October 27, 2017
