Committee okays east Jerusalem referendum bill

Panel of MKs decide referendum needed before conceding any territory under Israeli legal jurisdiction.

By SHELLY PAZ
east jerusalem 248.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
east jerusalem 248.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
A joint panel of the Knesset House and Law committees on Sunday approved a proposal amending the national referendum bill, so that it now states a vote must be held before concessions on any territory under Israeli legal jurisdiction, including Jerusalem. The committee also rejected Central Elections Committee director-general Tamar Edri's proposal that a public holiday be declared for such a referendum, citing the NIS 1.3 billion cost. "We have decided that all territory under Israel's jurisdiction will be added to the referendum bill, because we believe that the current political situation has changed and it will receive the Knesset plenum's support," House Committee chairman David Tal said. Tal has vigorously championed the referendum bill since its initiator, Avigdor Yitzhaki, resigned from the Knesset. The bill had originally called for a referendum only on concessions on the Golan Heights. Under the bill, concessions in Judea and Samaria would not require a referendum because these regions are not under Israeli legal jurisdiction. The five MKs who attended the final committee meeting in which the wording of the national referendum bill was determined were Tal (Kadima), Menahem Ben-Sasson (Kadima), Gideon Sa'ar (Likud), Yitzhak Levy (NU/NRP) and David Rotem (Israel Beiteinu). "We hope our decision will inspire the Finance Ministry to channel the money saved to places it is badly needed - such as the health basket and the welfare and education systems," Tal said. The committee decided that the voting would be held between 2 p.m. and 11 p.m. It also agreed that there was a need to remove the legal restrictions aimed at regulating pre-referendum propaganda due to the difficulty of enforcing them in the age of electronic media. It decided to remove the restrictions on propaganda in print and digital media outlets. It further decided that political advertisements on radio and TV must be paid for and fall within the regular timetable approved for commercials. The media campaign will begin 21 days prior to a referendum and end 24 hours before the referendum takes place. A set tariff for TV and radio advertisements will be published in advance by the concessionaires. The bill will now be distributed next to all Knesset members for evaluation, following which it will be voted on by the joint committee once again for second and third readings. It will then be brought to the Knesset plenum for a final vote.