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Israel

Labour: Jerusalem is not the Jewish capital

October 28, 2009 15:38
jerusalem

ByJessica Elgot, Jessica Elgot

1 min read

Ehud Barak’s Labour Party has vetoed a bill in the Knesset describing Jerusalem as the Jewish capital.

The party says that while Jerusalem should be asserted as the capital of Israel, a move to make it a religious capital would be misinterpreted by the rest of the world as a potential act of aggression.
The government cannot support a bill if a party in the Knesset uses its power of veto.

The bill was proposed by Habayit Hayehudi (Our Jewish Home) MK Zevulun Orlev, in order to state clearly that a “United Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people.”

Mr Orlev said: "I, for my part, commit to find the way to bring the bill to vote in spite of the Labour Party. This bill is declarative, yet of the utmost importance in order to sharpen and fix the status of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish people.