Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, nominally in charge of peace negotiations with the Palestinians, is desperately trying to kill a new bill moving through the Knesset today which would indefinitely delay the talks.
The bill, pushed by Ya’cov Litzman from the United Torah Judaism Party, would ban any negotiation with the Palestinians on the status of Jerusalem unless a super-majority of the parliament first okays the talks.
Questions about returning parts of occupied East Jerusalem to the Palestinians have proven hugely controversial within Israel, as Netanyahu has insisted all of metro Jerusalem will be the “eternal, undivided” capital of Israel.
Livni’s approval as chief negotiator was a condition for her joining the coalition government, though other factions within the coalition have repeatedly sought to push bills that would limit the ability to make a final settlement, concerned that she is a lot more pro-negotiation than most of the government.
Though the bill doesn’t explicitly rule out negotiation on Jerusalem, the need for a super-majority amounts to a de facto ban, since it would be all but impossible to get a majority of the Knesset to agree on anything peace related, let alone something involving territorial transfers.
There has been a Jewish majority throughout Jerusalem since the 1800s. The Jewish majority in “eastern Jerusalem” was interrupted only by the 1948 Arab war against newborn Israel, when the Jewish residents of that part of the city were forced to flee for their lives. Indeed, many homes in what are today mostly-Arab sections of the city still have on their doorposts indentations where mezuzahs were once posted, before their Jewish residents were expelled. Other homes where Arabs now reside have, in the upper corners of the doorways, conspicuously new rock installed to replace the old rock that had the mezuzah-indentation.
Other notable Jewish sites in eastern Jerusalem, dating back to the 1930s, include the Jewish National Library, Hadassah Hospital, and Hebrew University.
During the Jordanian occupation of eastern Jerusalem (1948–1967), the Jordanian authorities destroyed 58 synagogues, tore up the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, and used the tombstones (including the tombstone of Hadassah founder Henrietta Szold) to pave roads and to build latrines in Jordanian army barracks.
During the Jordanian occupation of the Old City, the Jordanians also mistreated local Christians. The Jordanian government severely restricted the number of Christians who were allowed to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem, restricted the opening of Christian schools in the city, required that the Koran be taught in Jerusalem’s Christian schools, and abrogated the right of Christian institutions to acquire real estate in Jerusalem. Because of this mistreatment by the Arab Muslim authorities, more than 60 percent of Jerusalem’s Christian population emigrated from the city during 1948–1967.
Note the total silence over Israel's current mistreatment of Palestinians and Christians.
So basically what you're saying is that control of Jerusalem is based on and by right of possession: whoever controls it at any given time gets to make the rules.
Right now, that 'whoever' happens to be the Israelis- but would you have the same attitude should non-Israeli forces (ie Muslims) manage to take control of the city at some point?
NOTHING outside of Israel's unilaterally declared borders belongs to Israel. not a blade of grass not a grain of sand. UN181
NOTHING before 1948 pertains to Israel for it did not exist. Jordon was already a State in 1946 when Israel was crafted onto Palestinian land. The annexation of Palestinian land by Jordon was mandated by the Palestinians in accordance with the UN.
If and only if ALL aspects of Israels own self imposed obligation ie UN242 are complied with are the high stakeholders willing or obliged to recognize Israel illegal annexation of Palestinian land.
Your argument is a nonsense your illegal squat has more in common with the little blond child found among the Roma people. Everyone knows the child is out of place there even if the 'parents' insist they have legitimate claims to the girl.
Likewise everyone knows Israel's illegal squat and its est. Euro migrant horde have no business in Palestine despite Israel nonsense claims. All that circumvents 250UN res. is ONE US veto .
As the Tea Party and affiliates are doing everything within their power to disrupt the functioning of the USG, the extremist political parties within Israel use their small blocks of voters to force their ideas onto the entire nation, regardless of the overall negative impact. The history lesson presented above by the Half-Colonel is informative but not relevant to the state of issues today. If I read him correctly, he is justifying the Jewish claim to Jerusalem on historical residences. I'm sure he would acknowledge that prior to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, the entire region was predominately Arab – and still is. Using his reasoning of historical demographics, the entire Northeast of the US should be part of the greater Iroquois nation. War and conflict remake maps and relocate people all the time. Look at the number of refugees right now, from the US/UK invasion of Iraq to the mass of refugees running from the violence in Syria. The winners get to draw the maps.
"The Winners get to draw the maps" That might have been so prior to the 1945 UN Charter which Israel subsequently endorsed on gaining membership to the Organization.
Israel knows their occupation is Illegal hence their numerous application to the UN for recognition of the annexed land. Their unbridled confidence and joy when both Clinton (Monika) and Bush (Gannon) got caught in the Mossad honeypot allowed Israel to go 'all ahead full', using US taxpayers $$$ to fund illegal settlement building, laughing all the way to the Banks, a Ponzi scheme worthy of Maddof.
The crooked Politicians get their cut, the Builders get theirs, the squatters get cheap Palestinian housing. Israel sees the squatter settlements as an immovable fact on the ground. If negotiations fail forcing the Palestinians back to the UN and the squatters get turfed out, there will be another round of Jewish wringing of hand and gnashing of teeth, while the US taxpayers/investors are again be forced to pick up the pieces.
Probably why Obama is insisting on American Universal health care. If the US can't fund their own health care, they can't fund Israel's