Jewish Home says PM vetoed bill making it ‘impossible’ to divide Jerusalem

The Jewish Home party says Netanyahu has vetoed a bill that would require a special two-thirds Knesset majority on any decision to divide Jerusalem under a future peace deal with the Palestinians.

“We regret that narrow political considerations prevail over the prevention of the division of Jerusalem,” the party says in a statement. “We will continue to fight to pass this law, and will do every effort to advance the law in the coming days.”

Party chairman Naftali Bennett had proposed legislation that would have amended the Basic Law on Jerusalem so that any future vote to divide the city would require the approval of 80 of the 120 MKs to pass, as opposed to a regular majority. He said the amendment would make dividing the capital city effectively “impossible.”