“Greater Jerusalem” Bill Nears Passage; Angry Palestinian Reaction Expected

The controversial legislation before the Israeli parliament known as the “Jerusalem Bill” is nearing passage, but not everyone is happy about it. That includes those who see it as “provocative” at a time when the Trump administration is trying to jump-start new talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. The bill would bring a number of communities built on land Israel conquered in the 1967 war under jurisdiction of the municipality of Jerusalem but stops short of annexing the communities to the state of Israel. Other communities will follow suit. The bill’s sponsor, a member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud Party, was quoted as declaring that the move “enshrines Jerusalem’s status as the eternal capital of the people of Israel and the Jewish majority in the capital.” Opponents of the bill oppose the bill’s timing as well as substance while the Palestinians cite the act as proof positive of Israel’s continued annexation of land the Palestinians see as the framework of its state-in-waiting.