The Israeli parliament has given preliminary approval to a bill requiring a national referendum on any peace agreement that calls for further territorial concessions.
Sixty-eight lawmakers voted today to return the bill to the Knesset law committee, where it will be prepared for two further rounds of balloting that are necessary before the measure can become law.
Twenty-two voted against the bill, which was carried over from the former government, and one abstained. The proposal refers to the Golan Heights, captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War, as well as east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians seek as their capital.
The bill was declared a measure of confidence that could topple the government, a move that prompted Cabinet ministers who had earlier voiced opposition to the plan to cast ballots in favor of it or to be absent for the vote.
"The referendum bill is unnecessary for two reasons," Defence Minister Ehud Barak said before the vote. "It will put unnecessary pressure on the prime minister when the time comes to carry out negotiations with Syria and it gives the mistaken impression abroad that Israel is against peace." Mr Barak voted for the bill.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier in the week that Syria has dropped its demand that he agree to return the Golan before peace talks can resume, the daily Haaretz said.
Israel and Syria held Turkish-mediated, indirect talks last year that broke down after Israel began a 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip in December. They were the first such talks since 2000. The earlier negotiations collapsed over the terms of an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan.
Palestinians have demanded Netanyahu impose a total construction freeze in the West Bank before negotiations are renewed, saying the 10-month moratorium he declared last month is insufficient. The Palestinian Authority seeks to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Bloomberg
