Israeli parliament backs bill to safeguard control of Jerusalem

Israel's parliament gave an initial approval Wednesday to a bill aimed at preventing the government from handing the Palestinians parts of Jerusalem as part of a future peace deal.

The bill passed its first hurdle as lawmakers approved it in a preliminary reading with a 58-48 majority. The vote means the bill now will need to pass three more full rounds before it will be approved.

Under the proposed legislation, any peace deal that includes a withdrawal from lands in Jerusalem or annexed East Jerusalem will require the support of a special majority of 80 lawmakers of the 120-seat parliament.

The sponsor of the bill, Shuli Moalem-Refaeli of the far-right Jewish Home party, said that the bill's goal "is to prevent concessions as part of diplomatic deals."

"Jerusalem will never be on the negotiating table," she said in a statement.

"The State of Israel will not allow for the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem. Get it into your heads that Jerusalem was the capital of the Jewish people and will remain the capital of the Jewish people for all eternity," she said.

Israel seized East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967. It later annexed East Jerusalem, in a move never recognized internationally.

Israel claims both parts of the city as its "eternal and indivisible" capital, while the Palestinians see East Jerusalem the capital of their future state.

The future of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues between Israel and the Palestinians.

Some key ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, seen as the most right-wing government in Israel's history, strongly oppose a two-state solution to the conflict.

The vote came amidst spiraling tensions around the al-Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem, with daily clashes between Muslim worshippers and the police.

The tensions were triggered by metal detectors that Israel had installed at the gates of the compound after three Israeli Arabs shot dead two policemen on Friday.