​​The Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Tuesday voted to approve for first reading a proposed amendment to Basic Law: Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel (Amendment—Prohibition on Opening Foreign Diplomatic Mission), sponsored by far-right MKs Zeev Elkin (New Hope—The United Right) and Dan Illouz (Likud).

MK Ofer Cassif during a demonstration against the eviction of the Sub Laban family from their home in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, July 2023 (Photo: Zo Haderech)

MK Elkin said: “The bill, does not seek to repeal the status of the eight countries that have missions in Jerusalem as a kind of legal bubble for providing services to the Palestinian residents.” He said, “There is constant pressure from countries to add additional countries to this list. There was an initiative in the previous government to restore the activity of the American consulate in Jerusalem, and that was an election promise of the sitting US president, but due to the objection of various elements, including my party, Israel convinced the United States to stop this process.”

According to the version of the bill that passed its preliminary reading in early June, “the State of Israel will not allow a foreign political entity to open or operate in Jerusalem a diplomatic mission that is intended to serve people who are not Israeli residents or residents of the entity in question.”

MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash-Ta’al) said during the debate “East Jerusalem is occupied. It is not a city that should be under Israeli sovereignty, and most of the world does not recognize Israeli sovereignty there. West Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel. What is considered today as Jerusalem was never considered as historic Jerusalem. It was expanded to areas that, even according to most Israelis, were not a part of it. Isawiya, Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah and Jabel Mukaber – all these areas are occupied, and the Israeli law that is applied to them is illegitimate. Most of the world does not recognize the application of the criminal Israeli sovereignty over occupied east Jerusalem. The Palestinians do not recognize it and do not want to live under occupying Israeli rule, so the future is the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.”

MK Cassif added: “East Jerusalem will be liberated, and there is nothing you can do about it. Palestine will be free of Israel, and, despite your objections, there will be a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital. These are the death throes of the occupation, and we will do all we can, within the confines of the law, to advance these throes.”