Word: knesset
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With Secretary of State Cyrus Vance's encouragement, Sadat delivered a fairly moderate address to his parliament explaining why he had called Kamel back from Jerusalem; two days later, Begin accordingly made a reasoned speech before the Knesset in which he insisted that Israel was seeking "an atmosphere in which calm negotiations can be pursued...
...these footholds are clearly illegal. Last week his government stood by in silence as zealous Israeli nationalists of Gush Emunim (Band of the Faithful), under the protection of Israeli soldiers, established the cornerstone for a new settlement at Shiloh, 30 miles north of Jerusalem on the West Bank. Some Knesset members of Begin's own Likud coalition even took part in the ceremonies...
Beginning in April, under the terms of a new law passed by the Israeli Knesset last month, anyone who offers any "material inducement" to an Israeli to change his religion will be liable to a $3,200 fine and five years in prison. And anyone convicted of converting to another faith for nonspiritual benefit may spend three years behind bars. Explaining his country's first antimissionary law, Orthodox Knesset Member Meir Abramowicz, the bill's sponsor, says: "We are the remnant of millions of Jews from the past. We merely want to protect our children." But Israel...
...controversial bill slipped through the Knesset two days after Christmas, when attention was focused on Middle East diplomacy. And diplomacy may in part explain its passage. Because of pressure from liberal Jews in the U.S., Premier Menachem Begin promised the two Orthodox parties in his parliamentary coalition a long-sought bill on a different issue, which refused to recognize conversions to Judaism in Israel except under Orthodox auspices. By permitting the antimissionary bill, he may have hoped to shore up Orthodox support during a time when compromise may be necessary in the delicate negotiations about the future of Israeli-occupied...
...fact is that the current peace activity has made Begin stronger than he ever was before. After an 11 ½-hour debate in the Knesset, one of the longest sessions in memory, Begin won endorsement for his plan by a vote of 64 to 8, with 40 (mostly opposition Labor Party members) abstaining. With that kind of support at home, Begin would be in a position to negotiate from strength-and to make further concessions, if he can be persuaded to do so-when the political and military committees meet this month...