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Labour blocks bill defining Jerusalem ‘capital of Jewish people’ |
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Written by --
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Tuesday, 03 November 2009 |
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JERUSALEM (Arutz-7) – The Labour party, using its power as a government coalition partner, blocked an attempt by Jewish Home Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev to bring to first reading a bill aimed at strengthening the status of Jerusalem.
His proposal, which requires a change in the Basic Law, declares the city to be the “capital of Israel and the Jewish people” and was designed to strengthen ties with the Diaspora. The bill would also make it more difficult to surrender parts of the city to foreign rule.
However, it was not clear that Labour MKs would back the proposal and the party exercised its veto power. The coalition agreement states that any change in the Basic Law must have the agreement of all partners in the government. The Jewish Home’s three MKs are also coalition members.
MK Orlev expressed his disappointment at Labour’s “cynical” move. He charged that the party is a “traitor to its own values.” The veto by Labour was all the more surprising to Orlev because the request to place the measure for a vote came from Prof. Shimon Sheetrit, a veteran and senior Labour party member.
Welfare Minister Yitzchak Herzog, a senior Labour minister, said the party “loves” Jerusalem but that the proposed law could be misinterpreted and damage the country. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 November 2009 )
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