“A total of 14 laws and bills target Jerusalem, both geographically and demographically. Although they seem as if they were “criminal”, a set of punitive laws and bills also implicitly target Jerusalemites, who are not subject to military regulations.”

It is anticipated that the ruling coalition, chaired by Benjamin Netanyahu, expedites to enact a set of laws concerning the geographical and demographic aspects of Jerusalem. Directly or indirectly, these legislative acts target Jerusalemites and the popular resistance movement in Jerusalem. In addition, in its current session, the Knesset has approved punitive laws which effectively target the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem. Netanyahu and his team view Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the occupying state as a green light to implement projects, which were suspended due to US objections. Beyond doubt, the US veto against an Arab draft resolution on Jerusalem at the Security Council (18 December 2017) will consolidate the Netanyahu government’s approach. It will also corroborate the US Administration’s new strategy, which claims that Israel is not a cause of the Middle East conflict.

According to the Monitor of Racist Laws in Support of the Occupation and Settlement Activity at the Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies (MADAR), the current 20th Knesset has had a list of 14 laws, which directly target Jerusalem, both geographically and demographically. A set of punitive laws and bills also target the Palestinian residents, holy shrines, and popular resistance movement in Jerusalem. Jerusalemites are not subject to the military regulations, which are in force in the rest of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967.