New bill in Knesset would make Jerusalem capital of Jewish people

By REBECCA ANNA STOIL
The Knesset Plenum approved by a large majority Wednesday afternoon the preliminary reading of an amendment to the Basic Law: Jerusalem that would seek to establish the centrality of Jerusalem as the capital not just of the State of Israel but also of the Jewish people. The bill, which was sponsored by MK Zevulun Orlev (NU-NRP), passed with 58 in favor and 12 opposing. Among those opposing the bill was MK Avshalom Vilan (Meretz) who described the legislation as "fiction and a farce". "Accepting the law establishing Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people means that people like Morris Talansky and the Brooklyn Hassids become Israeli citizens," he said, adding that the bill would also add yet a further level of complication to any future negotiations involving the permanent status of Jerusalem.