Abstract

ABSTRACT:

Upon the conclusion of the Camp David Conference in September 1978, Prime Minister Begin sent a letter to President Carter, in which he reviewed the process of applying the jurisdiction and administration of the State of Israel to those parts of Jerusalem that had been occupied by Jordan prior to the 1967 Six-Day War. He declared that united Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and so it shall be forever. In Begin’s view, after this letter there was no need to enact the “Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel”. However, when opposition MK Geula Cohen presented her bill to the Knesset Begin saw no other way but to support the bill he believed was unnecessary; otherwise, it might be interpreted as if he withdrew his position regarding the status of Jerusalem. Domestic politics added another aspect, which pushed Begin and his cabinet to approve a bill they did not want.

pdf

Share