Golan Heights Law
Encyclopedia
The Golan Heights Law is the Israel
i law which applies Israel's government and laws to the Golan Heights. It was ratified by the Knesset
on December 14, 1981. The law was condemned internationally and determined null and void by United Nations Security Council Resolution 497
.
The law was passed half a year before Israel's withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula
. Unusually, all three readings took place on the same day. This procedure was heavily criticized by the centre-left opposition. Substantially, the law has mainly been criticized for potentially hindering future negotiations with Syria
.
While the Israeli public at large, and especially the law's critics, viewed it as an annexation
, the law avoids the use of the word. Prime Minister
Menahem Begin responded to Amnon Rubinstein
's criticism by saying: "you use the word 'annexation', I do not use it" and noting that similar wording was used in a 1967 law authorizing the government to apply Israeli law to any part of the Land of Israel
. The earlier law covered only those areas included in the British Mandate, requiring a separate law for the Golan Heights (these were included in the French Mandate of Syria
).
1. "The Law, jurisdiction and administration of the State will take effect in the Golan Heights, as described in the Appendix."
2. "This Law will begin taking effect on the day of its acceptance in the Knesset."
3. "The Minister of the Interior is placed in-charge of the implementation of this Law, and is entitled, in consultation with the Minister of Justice, to enact regulations for its implementation and to formulate regulations on interim provisions regarding the continued application of regulations, directives, administrative directives, and rights and duties which were in effect in the Golan Heights prior to the acceptance of this Law."
Signed:
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i law which applies Israel's government and laws to the Golan Heights. It was ratified by the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
on December 14, 1981. The law was condemned internationally and determined null and void by United Nations Security Council Resolution 497
United Nations Security Council Resolution 497
United Nations Security Council Resolution 497, adopted unanimously on December 17, 1981, calls on the State of Israel to rescind its de facto annexation of the Golan Heights...
.
The law was passed half a year before Israel's withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
. Unusually, all three readings took place on the same day. This procedure was heavily criticized by the centre-left opposition. Substantially, the law has mainly been criticized for potentially hindering future negotiations with Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
While the Israeli public at large, and especially the law's critics, viewed it as an annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
, the law avoids the use of the word. Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
Menahem Begin responded to Amnon Rubinstein
Amnon Rubinstein
Amnon Rubinstein is an Israeli law scholar, politician, and columnist. A member of the Knesset between 1977 and 2002, he served in several ministerial positions. He is currently dean of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya and a patron of Liberal International.-Early life:Rubinstein was born...
's criticism by saying: "you use the word 'annexation', I do not use it" and noting that similar wording was used in a 1967 law authorizing the government to apply Israeli law to any part of the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
. The earlier law covered only those areas included in the British Mandate, requiring a separate law for the Golan Heights (these were included in the French Mandate of Syria
French Mandate of Syria
Officially the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon was a League of Nations mandate founded after the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire...
).
The law
The three broad provisions in the Golan Heights Law are:1. "The Law, jurisdiction and administration of the State will take effect in the Golan Heights, as described in the Appendix."
2. "This Law will begin taking effect on the day of its acceptance in the Knesset."
3. "The Minister of the Interior is placed in-charge of the implementation of this Law, and is entitled, in consultation with the Minister of Justice, to enact regulations for its implementation and to formulate regulations on interim provisions regarding the continued application of regulations, directives, administrative directives, and rights and duties which were in effect in the Golan Heights prior to the acceptance of this Law."
Signed:
- Yitzhak NavonYitzhak NavonYitzhak Navon is an Israeli politician, diplomat, and author. He served as the fifth President of Israel between 1978 and 1982 as a member of the center-left Alignment party...
(President) - Menahem Begin (Prime Minister)
- Yosef BurgYosef BurgYosef Shlomo Burg was an Israeli politician. In 1949, he was elected to the first Knesset, and served in many ministerial positions for the next 40 years. He was one of the founders of the National Religious Party.-Biography:...
(Interior Minister)
- Passed in the KnessetKnessetThe Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
with a majority of 63 in favour, 21 against.