The Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, chaired by MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), convened on Tuesday, Sept 17, and approved for second and third readings the proposed amendment to Basic Law: Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel (Amendment No. 3) (Opening Diplomatic Missions in Jerusalem), sponsored by MKs Zeev Elkin (New Hope—The United Right) and Dan Illouz (Likud).
The bill proposes that no new consulates will be opened in West Jerusalem, only embassies, and that the state will work to encourage the opening of foreign embassies in Jerusalem. This is to “strengthen Jerusalem’s status as Israel’s capital. It should be noted that the bill does not affect the consulates that currently exist in Jerusalem.”
MK Elkin, a settler resident in occupied East Jerusalem, said: “The bill is designed to deal with the pressures applied to the State of Israel as part of the prevalent approach around the world today, which does not view Jerusalem as the State of Israel’s capital. The bill stipulates that only diplomatic missions that have been accredited by the State of Israel can be opened in Jerusalem. By [submitting their credentials], they recognize Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem.”
Members of the Palestinian Gheith during the hearing against their planned eviction from their home at the Jerusalem Court (Photo: Peace Now)
MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash) explained his opposition to the bill, saying, “The deluge of legislation over the past months is part of the self-persuasion. A large portion of the radical or very radical right wing is apparently not so sure of itself, so it proposes deranged bills to persuade itself. Whoever wants to believe that Jerusalem is ‘Israel’s eternal and undivided capital,’ can believe this groundless myth, but I’m not willing to have this belief find expression in measures that entail apartheid and violence.”
“As part of the criminal annexation that has not been accepted by most of the world’s countries, there is a consensus that East Jerusalem is not part of the State of Israel. The peak is that under the racist apartheid government, a transfer and violent expulsion is being carried out of the residents of east Jerusalem from their homes in favor of racist settlers. This criminal bill will pass, because we are dealing here with a fanatical and messianic coalition of blood, with substantial support from the opposition. The violent transfer in Jerusalem is a war crime. This bill is yet another seal of approval for this transfer,” said MK Cassif. The bill was approved with the support of Committee Chair MK Rothman and MK Yinon Azoulay (Shas), with an opposing vote from MK Cassif. MK Gilad Kariv (Labor) was present in the room, but did not participate in the vote.
The UN reported that last Thursday, Sep 12, Israeli authorities demolished two apartments and displaced eight people, including four children, in a multi-story building in Al Walaja village, located within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem. Also on Wednesday Sept 11, Israeli forces demolished 20 structures in Biddu and Az Za’ayyem Arab-Bedouin communities in Jerusalem, comprising agricultural structures and two residences, which led to the displacement of a family of four people, including two children.
On the same day, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the Palestinian Gheith family against their planned eviction from their home, following a case submitted by the Ateret Cohanim settler organization, in the Batn al Hawa area of Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem. This puts two households of 16 people at imminent risk of displacement. On 15 August, a Palestinian family was forcibly displaced for similar reasons. Currently, there are 93 families, comprising over 450 people, including about 200 children, in Batn al Hawa at risk of forced displacement due to eviction cases filed against them by Ateret Cohanim. Those are among 213 Palestinian households in East Jerusalem who have eviction cases filed against them in Israeli courts, the majority by settler organizations, placing at least 970 people, including at least 424 children, at risk of displacement.
According to Peace Now, “The eviction policy is part of a larger effort to forcibly displace an entire community from this East Jerusalem neighborhood and to establish a settlement. The legal basis for these eviction claims is a discriminatory law that allows Jews to reclaim properties lost in the 1948 war, while another law prevents Palestinians from exercising the same right. The government can and must stop the forced displacement of an entire community and the responsibility lies on its shoulders. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) specifically referred in its opinion to the system of discriminatory laws and the Israeli settlement policy in East Jerusalem and determined that it is a violation of international law.”
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