Israeli lawmakers advanced a measure requiring a national referendum before ceding Israeli-controlled territory.
The bill passed the first of three readings in the Knesset, 65-18.
It also allows the withdrawal from territory with a two-thirds majority approval, or 80 lawmakers.
The measure only covers areas over which Israel has full sovereignty, including the Golan Heights and Jerusalem. It does not include the West Bank.
The vote coincides with the scheduled third round of indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria, the centerpiece of which is Syria’s demand that Israel return the Golan Heights.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
