A lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party is proposing legislation to incorporate Jerusalem bedroom suburbs into the capital, to address issues of sovereignty and demography.
The bill by MK Dan Illouz would see communities in Judea including Mitzpe Jericho, Beitar Illit, Ma’ale Adumim and Efrat, as well as the Gush Etzion Regional Council, and Givat Ze’ev in southern Samaria, incorporated into the new “Jerusalem Metropolis” in which the “law, jurisdiction and administration of the state will apply.”
The initiative would also see suburbs on the way to Tel Aviv such as Beit Zayit and Mevaseret Zion become part of the “Jerusalem Metropolis.”
The proposal, which would preserve the autonomy of the local authorities, seeks to increase the Jewish demographic in the capital.
About one-third of Jerusalem’s residents under its current borders are Arabs.
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation is set to decide whether the government coalition will back the bill.
“The Jerusalem Metropolis Law is the right law from every perspective—it enables broad metropolitan planning around Jerusalem, strengthens the capital, and improves the management of infrastructure connecting all the surrounding communities,” Illouz said in a statement sent to JNS.
“But beyond the planning logic, there is a fundamental principle here: Israel must act according to its interests, without fear. Our sovereignty over Jerusalem and all parts of our land is just—historically, legally and morally. This law is a significant step toward full sovereignty,” he said.
The lawmaker, who led the successful parliamentary effort to shut down the United Nations Relief and Works Agency offices in eastern Jerusalem, advocates declaring Israeli sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria.
“When I initiated the law to shut down UNRWA, we faced international pressure and threats—but we stood firm, and the law passed without real consequences, only empty threats,” Illouz said. “The same will happen with sovereignty. When Israel stands its ground, it emerges stronger.”
Some of the Jerusalem suburbs have strenuously objected to such proposals in the past, seeking to maintain their municipal independence.
