Some Israeli parliamentarians appear to be throwing an obstacle in the path of the Annapolis peace process. Today, by a vote of 54 in favor they agreed preliminarily to up the required number of votes from 61 to 80 out of 120 before any changes can be made to a 1980 law that declared all of Jerusalem, East and West, Israel's "complete and united capital." The proposed bill was sponsored by Likud--the same party that shepherded through the 1980 law under Menachem Begin. This move could make potential agreement on any changes in the Israeli legal status of Jerusalem to accommodate Palestinian demands to have their capital in East Jerusalem much more arduous.
In what appears to be a separate development, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced a new Israeli demand ahead of the Annapolis talks. He said that agreement on Palestinian statehood must be based on recognition of Israel as "the state of the Jewish people." The demand was immediately rebuffed by the Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat, as being outside the bounds of the agreed 2003 Road Map. According to Reuters, "Erekat said Israelis 'can call themselves whatever they want -- we have recognised the state of Israel.'"
