Netanyahu Presented with Plan to Separate eastern Jerusalem Neighborhoods

(JNS.org) Member of Knesset Dr. Anat Berko (Likud) presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a plan to separate some eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods from the city and place them under Palestinian municipal responsibility, The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.

The majority of the neighborhoods discussed in Berko’s plan were never officially in Jerusalem’s jurisdiction. Berko is proposing that Palestinian residents of the eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods should eventually have their Israeli citizenship revoked. 

The Jerusalem Post also reported that this week’s discussions between Netanyahu and President Donald Trump addressed the issue of potentially transferring some municipal authority in eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods to the Palestinian residents of those communities.

In a separate and purportedly unrelated move, Israel’s National Security Council is deliberating the option of separating the Shuafat refugee camp and the Kfar Aqab neighborhood from Jerusalem’s municipal area, and creating an independent regional council for those areas, Israel’s Channel 10 reported Wednesday.