Friday, September 5, 2008

Israel Approves Public Holiday For Golan Referendum Vote

Sources: The Jerusalem Post and Israel public holidays (qppstudio.net). Earlier today, the House and Law committees of the Knesset (Israel's Parliament) approved a nationwide vacation day (public holiday) in the event that a national referendum is called on the transfer of the Golan Heights to Syria. A specific date for such a referendum has not yet been set.

The bill must be brought to the House Committee and the Knesset plenum for a vote before becoming law, but considering that election day is always a public holiday in Israel, it is safe to assume that this bill will pass.

September 8: The Knesset's Joint House and Law Committee, which includes the members of the House Committee and the Law committee, approved the proposal requiring a national referendum be held before any territorial concessions are made within Israel's 1967 borders. However, the committee rejected the central election committee's demand that the national referendum's election day be a public holiday, due to the high costs for the Israeli economy.