MidnightCall Magazine
News From Israel MagazineThe Golan Bill
By an 8-4 vote, the Knesset House Committee passed an early version of a law requiring a popular referendum before the Golan could be given away.
The proposal is now ready to be voted on in the full Knesset plenum for its first reading. If it passes, it must be transferred back to the Committee for last-minute changes and a vote, and if it passes that hurdle, it will be voted on for a final time in the Knesset.
Originally proposed by former MK Avigdor Yitzchaki, the bill states that no referendum is necessary if at least 80 MKs—two-thirds of the Knesset—support the retreat. If a majority of less than 2/3 supports a withdrawal, the retreat must be approved in a popular referendum before becoming law.
Top Syrian officials say Israel must agree to give away the Golan as a pre-condition for direct peace talks. The referendum law clashes with this demand.
A recent poll by the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research found that 67% of Israelis oppose ceding the Golan Heights to Syria. Only 16% of the public said they support such a position. In addition, 65% of Israelis believe that the Golan Heights are strategically and militarily important to Israel. Only 20% cite its historical connection to Jewish life and history, however, and a meager 7% believe it has value for the Israeli economy and tourist industry.
-virtualjerusalem.com, 18 June 2008
Not only the Golan Heights, but large parts of Syria are actually Syrian-occupied Israeli territory. First Chronicles 18:3 documents: “And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto Hamath, as he went to stablish his dominion by the river Euphrates.”
Does that mean Israel will not surrender the Golan Heights to Syria? That is very doubtful, in spite of this temporary referendum. We understand that the whole world, without exception, is guilty of dividing the Holy Land, and therefore the surrender of the Golan Heights is not an option but a must.
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