Knesset, gov. to be in Jerusalem regardless of peace deal: Netanyahu

CAIRO – 12 January 2018: Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated on Wednesday that the government and Knesset headquarters will be in Jerusalem, regardless of the peace negotiations’ results, Sputnik new agency reported.

During the annual press conference with foreign press, Netanyahu said, “The Palestinian president [Mahmoud Abbas] is the one who is obstructing the peace process, as he is refusing to return to the negotiation table.”

Sparking international condemnation, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized, on December 6, Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by announcing the relocation of the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The 193-member U.N. General Assembly agreed to hold a rare emergency special session on December 22, at the request of Arab and Muslim countries, to vote on a draft resolution, demanding the U.S. reverse its decision. As many as 128 countries voted in favor of the resolution, while nine voted against and 35 abstained.

“America will put our Embassy in Jerusalem. It is what the American people want us to do,” said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, adding, “No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that.”

Making the situation more complicated, 64 of the Israel’s 120-MK Knesset gave the final approval on January 2 to a legislation dubbed “Unified Jerusalem Law”.

The legislation states that any decision relating to Jerusalem, including handing over any part of the city to a “foreign party,” will require the consent of at least 80 Knesset members – even in the case of a peace agreement.