Israel solidifies control of Jerusalem

As reported by Reuters, the Israeli Parliament passed an amendment that will make it harder to cede control over any part of Jerusalem in a possible peace deal with Palestine.   This comes on the heels of President Trump's acknowledgement of the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, with no mention of Palestine's interest and claim to East Jerusalem as its capital.

What the Israeli Parliament did was to raise the number of votes required to hand over any part of the city to "a foreign party" from 61 to 80 -- in a body of 120 members.

The fact is that Muslims, Jews, and Christians all three have claim to holy sites of their respective religions in Jerusalem, making it one of the most sensitive issues in the long-standing conflict over who claims the city.   It has long been anticipated that a two-state negotiated settlement between Israel and Palestine would give East Jerusalem to Palestinian control and West Jerusalem to Israeli control.

Trump's action, first, rules out the U.S. as a peace broker in any future talks.  Second, it raises serious questions whether those talks can resume under any broker, at least any time soon.

A spokesman for the Palestinian president said that the acts by Trump and the Parliament are "a declaration of war against the Palestinian people.   The vote clearly shows that the Israeli side has officially declared an end to the so-called political process."

Israel itself is divided on this move.   Although claims to the land have ancient history, in more recent years Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and has claimed it ever since.  But Palestinians consider that it rightfully belongs to them.  The amendment passed with only 64 votes, just three more than necessary for a simple majority.   It had been pushed by the Jewish Home party, whose goal is that Israel will "keep control of all of Jerusalem forever."

However, a leader of the Israeli opposition, Isaac Herzog, said that Jewish Home was leading Israel "toward a terrible disaster."   And, in truth, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party unanimously urged legislators to pass a resolution to effectively annex Israeli settlements built in the West Bank, which would be another severe blow to the Palestinians.

Netanyahu, himself facing criminal charges of corruption, may be trying to build political support by bolstering favor with the right-wing with this move.

It's a tragic mess -- a sad mixture of religious fervor and politics.   Jared Kushner obviously hasn't been able to "bring peace to the Middle East," as was promised.   And his father-in-law certainly has not helped in that process with his declaration about Jerusalem and his open support for Netanyahu and his increasingly rightward (anti-Palestinian) tilt.

Ralph