Proposed Bill to Ban Jerusalemites From Guiding Tours in Jerusalem

A bill that will ban Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem from serving as tour guides in the city is being proposed by seven Israeli Knesset members.

The bill proposes that a Jerusalem tour guide leading a group of more than 11 people, or traveling in more than one vehicle, must be a citizen of Israel, according to the Israeli news daily Haaretz. Because most Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are residents and not citizens, they would not qualify to work as guides.

According to the text of the bill: "Oftentimes there are disagreements on the manner of the presentation of these sites historically, religiously, culturally and more. The city of Jerusalem, with its many historic sites, is an example of a site about which there are such disagreements. Some of the residents of Israel, like those in East Jerusalem, often have 'dual loyalty,' since they vote in elections of the Palestinian Authority.”

There are at present around 300 Palestinian guides holding certification from Israel's Tourism Ministry, Samir Bahbah, chairman of the association of East Jerusalem tour guides, told Haaretz, and all of them could be affected by the proposed legislation.

"These residents often present anti-Israeli positions to groups of tourists that they guide,” the bill states. “To ensure foreign tourists are exposed to the national Israeli viewpoint, we suggest ruling that travel agencies, and any organization providing tours for foreign tourists, ensure that the groups are accompanied by a tour guide who is an Israeli citizen and has institutional loyalty to the State of Israel.”

The bill was proposed by MK Gideon Ezra and so far has the support of MKs Uri Ariel (National Union ), Carmel Shama and Danny Danon (Likud ), Avraham Michaeli (Shas ), Nachman Shai and Otniel Schneller (Kadima ). 

Ironically, the proposed bill was reported on the day before the opening of the 20-22 October Tourism Conference being held in Jerusalem by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The conference, widely criticized by human rights and peace organizations as supporting Israeli colonial practices in occupied East Jerusalem, is being exploited by the Israeli government for precisely this purpose. According to Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, “The conference - with the participation of 21 ministers, deputy ministers and organization heads - will take place as planned in Jerusalem,” Misezhnikov said. “This will be a declaration of intent and a seal of approval on the fact that we have a state whose recognized capital is Jerusalem."