Knesset Unit Agrees to Amend the Jerusalem Bill to Ease Criticism

The Knesset’s Legal Committee is working overtime to prepare the controversial Jerusalem Bill for its final two readings before the end of this week when Parliament adjourns for summer recess. At the some time, it is adding amendments to the measure aimed at easing the storm of criticism that the bill has engendered abroad.

The committee agreed today on one amendment that would remove from the original language the stipulation that “the unity and integrity of greater Jerusalem, in its post-Six-Day War borders, shall not be impaired.” Members of the committee expressed hope that the deletion of reference to borders would minimize the political damage already done to Israel by passage of the bill at its first Knesset reading last Wednesday night.

Under the amended clause, the bill reads that united Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Other amendments have been proposed by both coalition and opposition members of the committee intended to make the bill more acceptable to world opinion. Committee chairman David Glass of the National Religious Party, said a majority favored the inclusion of more practical elements which would make the proposed law less declarative. Glass, a moderate; proposed an amendment to ensure free access to the holy places of all religions.

OTHER PRACTICAL AMENDMENTS

Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem suggested a provision that would ensure Arab representation in the Jerusalem City Council. Kollek has attended all of the committee hearings. Other practical amendments proposed by various MKs include the institutionalization of the Ministerial Committee on Jerusalem to include the mayor. They have also proposed the creation of a special committee to coordinate matters relating to Jerusalem between the government and the city. It would be headed jointly by a chairman and the mayor of Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Bill was proposed last May by MK Geula Cohen of the ultra-nationalist Tehiya faction. It passed its first reading last week by a vote of 65-12. Premier Menachem Begin demonstratively interrupted his convalescence from a heart attack to attend the Knesset session and cast his vote in favor of the measure.

It was officially supported by the opposition Labor Party as well as the coalition factions. But many MKs who voted for it did so reluctantly and made it clear that they thought the bill was ill-timed. They said they voted favorably in order to get the matter over with as quickly as possible because of the mounting criticism abroad. The bill, which is virtually certain of passage on its final reading, will be incorporated into Israel’s Basic Law.

GREEN LIGHT SOUGHT ON P.M.’S OFFICE MOVE

Meanwhile, Begin, who will return to work tomorrow, has indicated that he plans to go ahead with his equally controversial plan to move the Prime Minister’s Office from West to East Jerusalem. In so doing, Begin is defying growing international pressure against such a provocative move at a time when Israel is engaged in negotiations with Egypt and the U.S. over autonomy for the West Bank and Gaza. U.S. Ambassador Samuel Lewis visited Begin for a third time within a week for general discussions which were said to include the proposed move.

It is believed that Begin will seek a green light from the Cabinet at its next weekly meeting Sunday. He appears to be unmoved by possible diplomatic repercussions. But political sources here expressed concern that Turkey might sever diplomatic relations with Israel over the Jerusalem Bill and the relocation of the Prime Minister’s Office. Turkey is the only Moslem country apart from Egypt which has diplomatic relations with Israel.

The Turkish Premier said recently that his government had made a specific decision with respect to the Jerusalem Bill but he did not elaborate. Some sources here said, however, that Turkey was not likely to break diplomatic ties immediately because of its considerable interests in Israel.

Meanwhile, Venezuela, one of the few countries which has its embassy in Jerusalem, announced that it would move the embassy to Tel Aviv “because of changes in the status of Jerusalem.”