The Israeli Knesset yesterday passed a new law preventing the establishment of any diplomatic missions in Jerusalem unless they are embassies, reinforcing Israel’s stance on its sovereignty over the occupied city.
The amendment to the Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel, passed by a vote of 29-7, in the 120-member Knesset, according to a parliamentary statement.
Introduced by MKs Ze’ev Elkin (New Hope) and Dan Illouz (Likud), the law stipulates that while new consulates are barred from Jerusalem, Israel will encourage foreign embassies to open there.
Existing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem will remain unaffected, reported the Times of Israel. The law is widely viewed as a measure to prevent the establishment of consular offices in Jerusalem that would serve Palestinians.
“Jerusalem is the core of our sovereignty,” stated Illouz, adding that the law “makes it clear once and for all that Jerusalem is ours and is not for sale. It’s a historic law that joins other historic laws passed in recent days.”
Elkin said that “those who wish to establish a foreign mission in Jerusalem will have to act according to this law and the mission will be obligated to provide service to the residents of the State of Israel. Jerusalem is the eternal and indivisible capital of the State of Israel and no country will be allowed to challenge our sovereignty in the united Jerusalem.”
Israel considers all of Jerusalem, including East Jerusalem, which it seized in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move not recognised internationally, as the “eternal and undivided” capital of the Jewish state.
The Palestinians, for their part, hope to establish an independent state of their own in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Most countries do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, keeping embassies in Tel Aviv while some operate consulates in Jerusalem. Currently, only five countries, the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo and Papua New Guinea, maintain embassies in Jerusalem.
