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UPDATE

ISRAEL AUSTRIA
Israel passes new law on Jerusalem Austrian far-right

Israel’s Parliament, on 2 January 2018, called political process and has enters government
passed a law requiring a super-majority already begun to impose dictatorial
Austria’s far-right Freedom Party was
to relinquish control over any part of and de facto policies. The amendment
in triumphant mood on 16 December
Jerusalem, a move that could hamstring came just days after the ruling Likud
the city’s division in any future peace party’s central committee called for the 2017 after agreeing a coalition deal
deal. The amendment bars the annexation of West Bank settlements. with the conservatives, capping a
government from ceding Israeli The Israeli–Palestinian conflict year of successes for Europe’s
sovereignty over any part of This is the ongoing struggle nationalist movements. The
Jerusalem without approval of at least between Israelis and Palestinians that agreement reached by Sebastian
80 of the legislature’s 120 members. began in the mid-20th century. The Kurz’s People’s Party and the
But the law itself can be overturned origins to the conflict can be traced Freedom Party sets Mr. Kurz up to
with a simple majority, making it largely back to Jewish immigration, become Chancellor and also the
symbolic. and sectarian conflict in Mandatory world’s youngest leader. The
The law also permits the Palestine between Jews and Arabs. It People’s Party came first in October
government to remove outlying has been referred to as the world’s snap elections after Mr. Kurz — who
Palestinian neighbourhoods from the “most intractable conflict”, with the is known as wunderwuzzi or ‘whizz-
city, a move promoted by hardliners ongoing Israeli occupation of the kid’ — rebranded the formerly staid
to preserve Jerusalem’s Jewish West Bank and the Gaza Strip reaching party as his own personal
majority. They would be turned into 51 years. “movement”, promising to get tough
separate municipalities under Israeli Despite a long-term peace process on immigration and to lower taxes.
control. The Knesset approved the and the general reconciliation of Israel The anti-immigration Freedom
legislation in a 64-52 vote, with with Egypt and Jordan, Israelis and Party came third in the election with
Opposition politicians saying it would Palestinians have failed to reach a final 26% of the vote, which was double
make it even harder to make peace with peace agreement. The key issues are: the stunning 13% notched up by the
the Palestinians. mutual recognition, borders, security, far-right Alternative for Germany
Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its water rights, control of Jerusalem, (AfD) in elections the month before.
capital. The Palestinians want east Israeli settlements, Palestinian Their success was mirrored in
Jerusalem to be the capital of their freedom of movement, and Palestinian elections elsewhere in Europe this
future state. Tensions rose after US right of return. The violence of the year.
President Donald Trump declared conflict, in a region rich in sites of Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party
Jerusalem to be Israel’s capital last historic, cultural and religious interest became the second-largest in the
month. worldwide, has been the object of Netherlands, France’s National Front
Palestinian President Mahmoud numerous international conferences was in a run-off for the presidency in
Abbas called the legislation dealing with historic rights, security May and the AfD entered the
tantamount to declaring war on the issues and human rights, and has been Bundestag, re-drawing Germany’s
Palestinian people. This vote clearly a factor hampering tourism in and political map.
indicates that the Israeli side has general access to areas that are hotly But the Freedom Party is rare in
officially declared the end of the so- contested. Western Europe, having translated its
March 2018 Competition Wizard 49