A new bill intended to hinder any future division of Jerusalem has been approved in its preliminary reading in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. The bill proposes an amendment that would require a two-thirds majority vote of 80 members of the Knesset in order to relinquish Israeli sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem, as opposed to the current requirement of a simple majority of 61 votes. This would make it more difficult for concessions to be made over Jerusalem at the upcoming Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland.

The bill passed its preliminary reading on Wednesday by a vote of 54 to 24, but it has not passed into law. The legislation must make it through a committee and three votes on the Knesset floor.

“But if the governing coalition does not oppose it—and it has not so far—it has a good chance,” the New York Times reports.

Likud party MK Gideon Sa’ar, who sponsored the bill, stated that its adoption, “two weeks before the Annapolis conference, sends an important and clear signal to the entire international community that all of the people of Israel and parliament oppose concessions in Jerusalem.”

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that he is willing to negotiate on core issues relating to a two-state solution at the Annapolis conference later this month. One of the issues Olmert has put on the bargaining table is the final status of Jerusalem.

This latest move by Israel’s parliament, however, indicates that there will continue to be strong opposition to Olmert’s proposals among some politicians. The Trumpet.com has previously pointed out that the Temple Mount would be a particular sticking point for the Jews in any negotiations over Jerusalem.

Biblical prophecy tells us that half of Jerusalem will fall (Zechariah 14:2). Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has written about how the Jews’ determination to hold on to parts of East Jerusalem would lead to this prophecy being fulfilled through violence rather than negotiation. For more, read “Jerusalem Is About to Be Cut in Half.”