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East Jerusalem refers to the part of Jerusalem that was captured by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. It includes Jerusalem's Old City and some of the holiest sites of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, such as the Temple Mount, Al Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Jerusalem was divided into two parts - the western portion, populated mainly by Jews, came under Israeli sovereignty, while the eastern portion, populated mainly by Arabs, came under Jordanian rule. Arabs living in such western Jerusalem neighbourhoods as Katamon or Malha were forced to leave; the same fate befell Jews in the eastern areas, such as the Old City and the City of David. The only eastern area that had remained in Israeli hands throughout the 19 years of Jordanian rule was Mt. Scopus where the Hebrew University is located. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, the eastern part of Jerusalem came under Israeli rule and was merged with the western municipality, together with several neighboring Palestinian villages.

The term "East Jerusalem" usually refers to the entire area that had been under Jordanian rule and came under the administration of the Jerusalem municipality in 1967, covering some 70 km², or it may sometimes refer just to the territory of the pre-1967 Jordanian municipality, covering 6.4 km². Mount Scopus, which was an Israeli enclave inside Jordanian territory before 1967, is not considered part of East Jerusalem.

History

Jordanian Rule

According to the 1947 UN Partition Plan, Jerusalem was supposed to be an international city, not part of either the proposed Jewish or Arab state. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, West Jerusalem was captured by Israel, while East Jerusalem (including the Old City) was captured by Jordan. Upon its capture, the Jordanians immediately expelled all the Jewish residents of the Jewish Quarter. Many synagogues were destroyed, and the Jewish Quarter was bulldozed. The ancient Jewish cemetery on Mount of Olives was desecrated. In 1950 East Jerusalem, along with the rest of the West Bank, was annexed by Jordan. However, the annexation of the West Bank was recognized only by the United Kingdom, which did not recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem absorbed some of the refugees from West Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods that came under Israeli rule.

During the period of Jordanian rule, East Jerusalem lost much of its importance, as it was no longer a capital, and losing its link to the coast diminished its role as a commercial hub. It even saw a population decrease, with merchants and administrators moving to Amman. On the other hand, it maintained its religious importance, as well as its role as a regional center.

During the 1960s Jerusalem saw economic improvement and its tourism industry developed significantly, and its holy sites attracted growing numbers of pilgrims (but Israelis of all religions were not allowed into East Jerusalem ). The Kendall Town Scheme was commissioned by the Jordanian government in 1966 with the purpose of linking the city with the surrounding towns and villages, integrating them into a metropolitan area. This plan was not implemented, as East Jerusalem came under Israeli rule the following year.

Israeli Rule

During the Six-Day War of 1967 Israel captured the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and eventually incorporated 6.4 km² of Jordanian Jerusalem and 64 km² of the nearby West Bank into the municipality of Jerusalem, including several villages and lands from neighboring villages and towns. This move excluded many of East Jerusalem's suburbs and divided several villages.

Under Israeli rule, members of all religions were largely granted access to their holy sites, with the Muslim Waqf maintaining control of the Temple Mount and Muslim holy sites there. The old Mughrabi Quarter (Morrocan) neighborhood in front of the Western Wall was demolished and replaced with a large open air plaza. The Jewish Quarter, destroyed in 1948, was rebuilt and settled.

With the stated purpose of preventing infiltration during the Second Intifada, Israel has decided to surround Jerusalem's eastern perimeter with a security barrier. The planned structure has separated East Jerusalem from its West Bank suburbs, some of which are under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority. The separation barrier has raised much criticism, and the Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that the alignment of sections of the barrier (including East Jerusalem sections) must be amended.

In the January 25, 2006 Palestinian Legislative Elections, 6,300 East Jerusalem Arabs were registered and permitted to vote locally. All other residents had to travel to West Bank polling stations. Hamas won four seats and Fatah two, even though Hamas was barred by Israel from campaigning in the city. Fewer than 6,000 residents were permitted to vote locally in the prior 1996 elections.

Demographics

The population of East Jerusalem as of 2004 was 403,333, comprising 58% of Jerusalem's residents. Of these, approximately 180,000 (45%) are Jews, (comprising 38% of the Jewish population of Jerusalem) and 223,752 (55%) are Arabs.

East Jerusalem's main Arab neighborhoods include Shuafat (32,357), Beit Hanina (22,685), a-Sawana (18,833), Jabal Mukabar (14,599), Ras al-'Amud (13,598) and A-Tur (12,565). East Jerusalem's main Jewish neighborhoods include Pisgat Ze'ev (39,747), Ramot Alon (39,383), Gilo (27,425), Neve Yaakov (20,306), and East Talpiyot (12,439). The Old City has an Arab population of 31,405 and a Jewish population of 3,965.

Status

Since June 28 1967, East Jerusalem has been under the law, jurisdiction, and administration of the State of Israel. This de facto annexation is not recognized by any country or international body, and was deemed invalid in a subsequent United Nations General Assembly resolution. In a reply to the resolution, Israel denied that her measures constitute annexation. In the 1980 "Jerusalem Law" Israel formally declared Jerusalem "whole and united", to be "the eternal capital of Israel". However, as the boundaries were intentionally not specified in the law, whether annexation has ever taken place is still debated. In response, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 478 (the U.S. abstained), declaring the law to be "null and void" and a violation of international law. In 1988, Jordan, while rejecting Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem, withdrew all its claims to the West Bank (including East Jerusalem). The Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles, signed September 13, 1993, deferred the settlement of the permanent status of Jerusalem to the final stages of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Palestinians view the future permanent status of East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state. Opinion polls indicate that the Israeli public is divided on the possibility of transferring the Arab parts of East Jerusalem to Palestinian hands under a peace deal.

Following the 1967 annexation, Israel conducted a census in the annexed territory and granted permanent Israeli residency to those present at the time of the census (those not present lost the right to reside in Jerusalem). They were permitted to apply for Israeli citizenship, provided they met the requirements for naturalization (such as swearing allegiance to Israel and renouncing all other citizenships) which most of them refused to do. Those rejecting Israeli citizenship can still vote in municipal elections and play a role in the administration of the city. Since a 1988 Israeli Supreme Court ruling, residents of East Jerusalem enjoy the Israel Social Security benefits and state-provided health care.

Israel has been accused of infringing the rights of East Jerusalem residents. This includes revocation of permanent residency and social rights on numerous occasions, restrictions on development and neglect of infrastructure and services. Furthermore, East Jerusalem residents that are married to residents of the Palestinian territories face difficulties due to family unification policies. In the aftermath of the Second Intifada East Jerusalem has increasingly been cut off from the West Bank, which thereby has lost its main economic hub.

In 1995, Israel began revoking permanent residency status from Palestinians who could not prove their "center of life" was in Jerusalem. This policy was ended four years later after it was discovered that more Palestinians were moving back in order to retain their status. The current policy is that those who live abroad for more than seven years or get residency or citizenship in another country are liable to lose their residency status. Arabs may still regain their status if they can prove that they have visited Israel at least once every three years. However, the loss of status is automatic and sometimes occurs without their knowledge. In 2006, the number of former Arab Jerusalemites to lose their residency status was 1,363, a sixfold increase on the year before.

On May 13, 2007, the Israeli Cabinet began discussion regarding a proposition to boost East Jerusalem's economy and Israel's presence there. The Cabinet is now considering a plan, whose cost is estimated at NIS 5.75 billion, to reduce taxes in the area, move many governmental offices there, construct new courthouses in the city and build a new center of Jerusalem studies. Additionally, plans to construct 20,000 Jewish homes in East Jerusalem are being considered by the Israeli government. This proposition has received much criticism, due to questions regarding its legality and moral standing.

In June of 2007, the Jerusalem Association for Civil Institutions, a group representing 130 Palestinian civil institutions announced its intention to declare before the United Nations, the formal "disengagement" of East Jerusalem from West Jerusalem and the establishment of an independent municipality to oversee internal affairs in their section of the city. A letter explaining the decision stated that:

"All UN resolutions since 1948 are based on the fact that Jerusalem is occupied territory, and that the occupation has no right to change its legal status, its geographical character or demographic makeup, and it is the right of its residents to take the necessary steps to organize and maintain their civilian lives. The Israeli government has ignored these resolutions over the years and worked to alter that which characterizes this city and expel its resident from Arab Jerusalem to gain control over their lands and property. This without paying heed to the UN's resolutions which called for the cessation of these practices ... now the Israeli authorities are carrying out a series of racist acts, the ultimate goal of which is to bring to a complete change of the situation in the city. Therefore – to stand up against this racism – the Jerusalem Association for Civil Institutions demands that the UN defend the residents of Arab Jerusalem and allow them to form a special municipality which will operate on their behalf in a manner that will serve the interests of its residents in accordance with UN resolutions. We demand of the UN to realize the resolutions pertaining to Jerusalem and not allow the Israeli authorities to continue ignoring them."

Hazem al-Gharabli explained that the move to make these demands was an independent action with no ties to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), who were opposed to the initiative. He charged that the PNA joined Israel in discriminating against East Jerusalem residents.

Mayors of East Jerusalem

• Anwar Al-Khatib (1948-1950)
• Aref al-Aref (1950-1951)
• Hanna Atallah (1951-1952)
• Omar Wa'ari (1952-1955)
• Ruhi al-Khatib (1957-1967)
• Amin al-Majaj (1967-1999; titular)

Footnotes

1. Martin Gilbert, Jerusalem in the Twentieth Century (Pilmico 1996), p254.
2. "Israel & the Palestinians: Key Maps". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
3. According to a Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies map , East Jerusalem consists of quarters 6, 7 and 8, as well as sub-quarter 11. The total population of this territory according to a JIIS publication was 403,333 at the end of 2003.
4. All figures of Jewish population refer to "Jews and others", including unclassified and non-Arab Christians numbering several thousands.
5. Law and Administration Ordinance (Amendment No. 11) Law, 1967 and Law and Administration Order (No. 1) of 28 June 1967.
6. General Assembly Resolution 2253, July 4, 1967
7. The letter, delivered to the U.N. Secretary General on July 10, stated: "The term 'annexation' is out of place. The measures adopted related to the integration of Jerusalem in the administrative and municipal spheres and furnish a legal basis for the protection of the Holy Places" .
8. Ian Lustick, Has Israel Annexed East Jerusalem?
9. Palestinian National Authority 2002 non paper Template:Dlw-inline
10. A 2005 Yedioth Ahronoth poll had 49% of Israelis support and 49% object .
11. "East Jerusalem". B'Tselem. Retrieved May 14, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
12. "A capital question". The Economist. May 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
13. "Cabinet discusses measures to financially strengthen Jerusalem". May 13, 2007. Retrieved May 13, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
14. "New Jerusalem settlement planned". May 11, 2007. Retrieved May 14, 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
15. "Israel's Olmert says seeks to expand Jerusalem". May 13, 2007. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
16. ^ Roee Nahmias (June 4, 2007). "East Jerusalem to UN: We Want Independence". Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 04.07.2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

References

• Bregman, Ahron (2002). Israel's Wars: A History Since 1947. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-28716-2
• Cohen, Shaul Ephraim (1993). The Politics of Planting: Israeli-Palestinian Competition for Control of Land in the Jerusalem Periphery. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226112764
• Ghanem, As'ad (2001). The Palestinian-Arab Minority in Israel, 1948-2000: A Political Study. SUNY Press. ISBN 0791449971
• Rubenberg, Cheryl A. (2003). The Palestinians: In Search of a Just Peace. Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 1588262251

See also

• Jerusalem Governorate
• Positions on Jerusalem
• Rule of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Jordan

External links

• Legal status of East Jerusalem and its residents (from B'Tselem)
• History of Jerusalem (from Jewish Virtual Library)
• Jordan to reject any Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem, King tells Arafat (from Jordanian Embassy in Washington)
• The Novel Catalyst for the Jerusalem Solution A website explaining why one school for the children of the Israeli and Palestinian governments might be the missing piece needed to achieve a lasting solution
• One Jerusalem - supportive of Israel's unification of the city
• "The Hell of Israel Is Better than the Paradise of Arafat" by Daniel Pipes
• East Jerusalem and the Politics of Occupation AFSC Middle East Resource Series

• Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• Disputed territories
• West Bank
• Jerusalem
• East Jerusalem