Israel raises threshold to cede parts of Jerusalem in peace deal

Israel set a higher thresholdon Tuesday for any future vote on ceding parts of Jerusalem tothe Palestinians, who want the eastern part of the city for afuture independent state.

The amendment passed by the Israeli parliament to existinglegislation raised from 61 to 80 the number of votes that wouldbe required in the 120-seat Knesset to approve any proposal tohand over part of the city to "a foreign party."

The amendment, long in the legislative pipeline, comes lessthan a month after U.S. President Donald Trump angered thePalestinians, Middle East leaders and world powers byrecognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

U.S. negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians havebeen frozen since 2014 but, if ever resumed, a special Israeliparliament majority to approve handing over parts of Jerusalemcould complicate efforts to reach a peace accord.

Trump's Dec. 6 decision touched off protests in the regionand the Palestinians have said Washington can no longer serve asa peace broker. A U.S. bid to revive negotiations, led by thepresident's adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has so farshown no progress.

"The authority to relinquish parts of the land is not in thehands of any Jew, nor of the Jewish people," said NaftaliBennett, head of theJewish Home coalition party,which sponsored the legislation.

Palestinian officials were not immediately available forcomment on the new amendment, which passed 64-52.

Opposition head Isaac Herzog said Jewish Home was leadingIsrael "toward a terrible disaster."

Contentious issue

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most sensitive issuesin the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East warand annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. It saysthe entire city is its "eternal and indivisible" capital.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of afuture state that would also include the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud partyunanimously urged legislators in a non-binding resolution toeffectively annex Israeli settlements built in the West Bank.

Political commentators said the decision might bolsterright-wing support for Netanyahu, who could seek a public mandate in an early election while he awaits possible criminalindictments against him on corruption suspicions. He denieswrongdoing.

Parliamentary elections are not due until November 2019, butthe police investigations in two cases of alleged corruption against Netanyahu and tensions among coalition partners in hisgovernment could hasten a poll.

Some commentators, pointing to an existing law that alreadysets a similar high threshold for handing over territory in a land-for-peace deal, have said Jewish Home was essentiallycompeting with Likud for support among the right-wing base.