No majority in Knesset to declare Jerusalem ‘capital of the Jewish people’

A bill proposed by a member of the Israeli Knesset that would have declared Jerusalem the capital of the Jewish people – and not just the State of Israel – was withdrawn after disagreements within the governing coalition. Attempts to Israel’s Basic Law ‘Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel’ the phrase that the ‘United Jerusalem is the capital of the entire Jewish people” were aborted quashed after the Labor Party voiced opposition to the amendment.

In June 2008, the Knesset Plenum approved by a large majority the preliminary reading of the amendment, with 58 in favor and 12 opposing. In order to become law, a majority of 61 is required in the final reading.

The sponsor of the bill, MK Zevulun Orlev of the party Our Jewish Home said: "This is a betrayal by the Labor Party, and they are turning their back on Zionist values and the path of Ben-Gurion, who established Jerusalem as the country's capital in opposition to the opinion of the countries of the world." Welfare and Social Services Minister Isaac Herzog of the Labor Party said: "This law would not serve the interests of Jerusalem and the state of Israel. "Every Jew understands that Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish nation. A legislative move, at this point in time, would be likely to be misinterpreted."