On Tuesday, Israel’s Knesset passed a new law aimed at preventing the opening of any future US Consulate in Yerushalayim for Servicing Palestinians in Yehuda and Shomron.
Proposed by MKs Ze’ev Elkin (United Right) and Dan Illouz (Likud), the bill is an amendment to the Basic Law: Yerushalayim the Capital of Israel. While Israel has no Constitution, Basic Laws act as a sort of quasi constitution in Israeli law.
The new bill requires that any new diplomatic embassies in Yerushalayim must be of states with diplomatic treaties with Israel. The law only applies to any future embassies, all existing embassies will remain in place.
The effect of the bill is to prevent the forming of a new consulate that will service Palestinians, as new consulates must now only service residents of Israel or officials tasked with interacting with Israel.
Following the bill’s passing in the Knesset, Elkin recalled that in the past under a previous coalition, he had threatened to quit the coalition if a new US consulate was opened. He passed the bill “in order for the state of Israel not to find itself again under diplomatic pressure to open consulates.”
Elkin said: “Jerusalem is the eternal and undividable capital of the state of Israel, and we will not enable any other country to question our sovereignty over a unified Jerusalem. No pressure will deter us from maintaining this important principle.”
Illouz added, “Whoever questions [a unified] Jerusalem, questions the very existence of the state of Israel, and we will not accept this! This law clarifies once and for all: Jerusalem is ours, and it is not for sale!”
{Matzav.com}
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