The question of whether Jerusalem is located in Israel or in Palestine appears simple in nature, but it is incredibly complicated and a matter that is at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The status of Jerusalem is disputed in both international law and diplomatic practice. Both Israel and Palestine claim Jerusalem as their capital city; thus, there are conflicting claims to sovereignty over the city, its regions, and access to its holy sites. The majority of this conflict revolves around the legal status of East Jerusalem and the Old City, which are claimed by Palestine but are under Israeli control. In the article to come, we will delve into some of the details about the recent history, controversy, status, importance, and current demographic makeup of Jerusalem.

Importance of Jerusalem

A trip to the city of Jerusalem is one of the world’s most important pilgrimages, as it contains some of the holiest places on earth for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. In Jerusalem, one can find one of the most heavily disputed and holiest sites on earth: Al-Haram ash-Sharif, or the Temple Mount. This complex is incredibly important to both Jews and Muslims for several reasons and contains several sites within it. For Jews, it is believed that this land is the location of the First and Second Temples, and a place where God gathered the earth used to form Adam. Furthermore, they believe this is where Cain, Abel, Noah, and other biblical figures performed ritual sacrifices. The Western Wall makes up a portion of the wall of the complex and is considered the holiest place for Jews, as it is where one can pray directly to God.

At the same time, this land is extremely important to Muslims, as it contains Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The former is recognized as the “farthest mosque,” where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have traveled to receive instructions from Allah on his way to heaven. The latter, a giant shrine with a gold-plated dome, covers a slab of stone that is believed by Jews to be the center of the earth and by Muslims to be the exact spot where Mohammed made his ascent into heaven.

Finally, Jerusalem is also extremely important to Christians. The Old City contains the locations where it is believed that Jesus was nailed to the cross, died, and was resurrected. As one can see, these sites alone make Jerusalem an incredibly important piece of territory, but there is even more that it has to offer—making control and claims to the city extremely complicated. While exploring the Holy City, every alley or street you turn down offers another site of immense religious, historical, and cultural significance.

History of British Rule and Division

The British forces assumed rule over Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks in 1917, and it became the capital of the British-mandated territory of Palestine. Arabs and Jews fell into intense conflict over control of the land, and further conflicts developed between rival Arab factions and between Zionists and the British. Eventually, as the British mandate was coming to an end, the British decided to pass control of the territory to the United Nations General Assembly in 1947. The UN adopted a resolution to split the land of Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state, with Jerusalem to be placed under an international regime—conferring it a special status due to its shared religious importance. This partition of the land was not agreed upon by the Arab population and, as the British Mandate officially terminated, the 1948 Arab-Israeli war broke out with Jews proclaiming an independent Jewish state of Israel. An Arab state was not formed as Arabs opposed the partition of Palestine. Additionally, the internationalization of Jerusalem was never realized due to the war between Israel and the Arab Palestinians.

During the war, Jordan captured East Jerusalem, the Old City, and the West Bank; while the Jews captured West Jerusalem and an even larger portion of the Palestinian territory allotted by the UN resolution, declaring Jerusalem their capital. Jerusalem remained a divided city for years until, in 1967, the Six-Day War broke out and Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Old City—occupying these areas to this day. Since 1979, the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly, United States, EU, and International Court of Justice all recognize the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as occupied Palestinian territories. For a more comprehensive history of the region, please see our article about the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Controversy

Both Israelis and Palestinians still claim Jerusalem as their capital. At the present, the Palestinian government, known as the Palestinian Authority, operates out of Ramallah in the West Bank, which is blocked off from Jerusalem with checkpoints and the large concrete Separation Wall. Israel has also largely expanded the municipal borders of Jerusalem, annexing parts of the West Bank to add to the city and establishing 13 Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem. These settlements and annexations are widely viewed as illegitimate by the international community.

Palestinians in Jerusalem

Approximately 300,000 Palestinians currently reside in East Jerusalem, and its surrounding villages and neighborhoods. Some of these areas are more modern and have stable economies; others are quite the opposite and face a lot of hardships. In 2013, a report on the Palestinian economy in East Jerusalem by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development found that Palestinian residents face official impediments with regard to education, employment, housing, taxation, and representation, due to the policies of the Israeli authorities that physically, politically, and economically segregate East Jerusalem from the rest of Palestine. The report also says that these Palestinian areas receive disproportionate shares of municipal services like water, postal service, garbage collection, road maintenance, and sewerage. Furthermore, tens of thousands of Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are physically separated from the rest of the city by barriers. They must cross checkpoints to access health, education, and other services to which they are entitled as residents of Jerusalem.

Status of Palestinians in East Jerusalem

Of the Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, more than 95% have residency status rather than Israeli citizenship. The number of applications for citizenship has grown in recent years; however, very few receive a positive response.

Palestinian Entry to Jerusalem

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, about 4.5 million Palestinians from the remainder of the occupied Palestinian territory are prohibited from residing in East Jerusalem and cannot enter the city without Israeli-issued permits. These permits are notoriously difficult for Palestinians to obtain, and many Palestinians have never had the opportunity of visiting Jerusalem even though it has vast religious importance, and is in close proximity to both the West Bank and Gaza.