Fact Sheet: Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a holy city for three religions - Judaism, Islam, and Christianity - and claimed as its capital by two peoples - Israelis and Palestinians. For this reason, Jerusalem is a very sensitive aspect of the Arab-Israeli peace process and official discussions over Jerusalem have been reserved for final status talks.
The disputed area is East Jerusalem, which shifted from Jordanian to Israeli control after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
HISTORY
- According to the 1947 UN Palestine Partition plan, which enabled the establishment of a Jewish state, Jerusalem would have an independent international legal status under UN administration (UN General Assembly Resolution 181).
- The first Arab-Israeli war in May 1948 resulted in the division of Jerusalem - Israel gained control of West Jerusalem and Jordan gained control of East Jerusalem, including the Old City.
- Israel annexed East Jerusalem after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
- Following the 1967 war, the UN passed Security Council Resolution 242, which called for both Arab recognition of Israel and for Israel to withdraw from territories occupied during the war.
ISRAELI POLICY
In 1980, the Israeli government declared that Jerusalem was the united and eternal capital of Israel. Jerusalem will remain undivided under full Israeli sovereignty (Birzeit University Law Center Website).
PALESTINIAN POLICY
The Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a prospective Palestinian state, with Jerusalem remaining a united city for two peoples (Palestinian National Authority Official Website).
U.S. POLICY
- Historically, the U.S. has not recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and regards East Jerusalem as occupied territory. The long-standing U.S. policy has asserted that the final status of Jerusalem can only be determined through negotiations between the two parties (Jerusalem Post, 6/23/97).
- The U.S. embassy, like most foreign embassies, is located in Tel Aviv. The U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem reports directly to the State Department in Washington (Jerusalem Post, 6/23/97).
- In 1995, Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act requiring the U.S. to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem by May 1999 and to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
- President Clinton has postponed moving the embassy until Palestinians and Israelis agree on Jerusalem’s status in permanent status negotiations, originally scheduled to be completed by May 1999 (Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 8/13/97).
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: JERUSALEM EXPANSION
- Israel’s Cabinet voted in June to expand the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem to the west and south, while bringing several Jewish towns and settlements in disputed territories to the east under an "umbrella municipality." Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called this plan "provocative" and "not helpful to the peace process" (New York Times, 6/22/98).
- As a result of U.S. objections and intense negotiations, the UN Security Council dropped a resolution that would have condemned Israel for trying to expand Jerusalem’s boundaries and demanded that the decision be rescinded. Instead, the council approved a statement that calls Israel’s actions "a serious and damaging development" and calls on Israel not to proceed with the move (New York Times, 7/14/98).
- Israel maintains that as a municipal decision, the Jerusalem expansion is preserving and protecting the city, not altering it. The shift in the city’s borders is aimed at bolstering its economy and infrastructure, and the "umbrella municipality" would not extend authority over any Israeli settlements (Buffalo News, 7/14/98).