Tibi bill would end east Jerusalem annexation

MK says capital not united; survey shows 83% of young Israelis opposed to dividing the capital.

tibi 248.88 AJ (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
tibi 248.88 AJ
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
United Arab List-Ta'al MK Ahmed Tibi submitted a bill on Monday morning proposing the cancellation of the Basic Law: Jerusalem, which, if approved, would annul the annexation of east Jerusalem. Jerusalem would then be divided according to the 1949-1967 armistice line. Jerusalem is not united and its holy sites should be returned to Arab control in the framework of a future Palestinian state, Tibi said. Also on Monday, a survey was released showing that some 83 percent of young Israelis oppose dividing the capital in a peace agreement. Just 6% of youngsters backed the division of Jerusalem in a peace agreement, while 11% of those surveyed were undecided, according to the survey conducted by the Shin1 social networking group. Of those opposed to the idea, 60% said that according to tradition, Jerusalem was the eternal capital of the Jewish people, 24% said that they believed in the idea of a Greater Israel and 15% said the peace process would have no chance of succeeding should the capital be split. Of those who support dividing the city, 50% said it would advance the peace process, 38% said Jerusalem belonged to the three monotheistic religions and that Israel did not have exclusive rights over the city, and 12% said that in any case, Jewish Israelis today had no way of visiting the places under dispute. Researchers questioned 709 people between the ages of 12 and 18.