Jerusalem

• BBC News – Key Maps: Jerusalem Before & After 1967
• Map of Settlements around Jerusalem, New York Times

• Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• B’Tselem – East Jerusalem

• David Weinberg, “Why Jerusalem Should Not Be Divided” Real Clear World April 1, 2010
• Steven J Rosen, “Obama’s Foolish Settlements Ultimatum” Foreign Policy April1, 2010
• Ethan Bronner “Israel Objects to U.S. Construction Demands” March 16, 2010
• “Six Days, Three Brigades, One Jerusalem” Jerusalem Post Special on Six Day War

• Daniel Pipes, “The Muslim Claim to Jerusalem” Middle East Quarterly Volume VIII: Number 4 (2001).
• Nadav Shragai, “Demography, Geopolitics and the Future of Israel’s Capital: Jerusalem’s Proposed Master Plan” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (2010).
• Nadav Shragai, “The U.S.-Israeli Dispute over Building in Jerusalem: The Sheikh Jarrah-Shimon HaTzadik Neighborhood” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Vol. 9, No. 4 (July 2009).
• Maya Choshen, Michal Korach And Dan Kaufman, “Jerusalem Facts and Trends 2007/2008” Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (2009).

• “Jerusalem - History” Jewish Virtual Library
• Mitchell G. Bard “Myth & Facts - Jerusalem” Jewish Virtual Library
• “Jordan’s Desecration of Jerusalem” Jewish Virtual Library

The David Project

'East' Jerusalem

April 2010

• The geographical entity which is now referred to as “East Jerusalem” only came into existence following the 1949 Armistice Agreement between Israel & Jordan.
• Prior to 1948, Jerusalem had been a united city with a Jewish majority since the early 19^th century
• Originally under the 1947 UN Partition Plan, Jerusalem was to be placed under international control
• Following Jordanian capture of the eastern portions of Jerusalem, which included the Old City, Temple Mount and Mt of Olives; Jews were forcibly expelled and forbidden to return.
• During the illegal Jordanian occupation of east Jerusalem between 1948 & 1967, Jordanian authorities destroyed and desecrated formerly Jewish areas.
• With the 1967 Six Day War, Israel recaptures the east Jerusalem; this came despite Israel’s pleas to Jordan to stay out of the war.
• Hours after the recapture, the Mughrabi or Moroccan Quarter was cleared to make way for the Western Wall plaza in order to accommodate the large influx Jewish worshipers who were prevented from visiting for 19 years.
• Since June 1967, Israel has considered eastern portions of Jerusalem to be part of the Greater Jerusalem Municipality. This was formalized in 1980 under the “Jerusalem Law” which specified that Jerusalem was to be eternal united capital of Israel.
• Arab residents of east Jerusalem were issued permanent Israeli identity cards with the option of becoming a naturalized citizen of Israel. Most Arabs have rejected this offer.
• Human rights organizations contend that east Jerusalem like the West Bank and Gaza Strip are occupied territories and that any Israeli attempts to change the “facts on the ground” such as building ‘settlements’ violates international humanitarian law.
• Most of the international community, including the U.S., considers Israel’s annexation of east Jerusalem as illegal as per UN Security Council Resolution 478 in 1980. However, the U.S. Congress has passed legislation in support of Israel’s position on Jerusalem and has mandated that the U.S. move its official embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (this remains pending as of 2010).
• As of 2006, east Jerusalem had 428,304 residents, comprising 59.5% of Jerusalem's residents. 181,457 (42%) are Jews, 229,004 (53%) are Muslim and 13,638 (3%) are Christian.
• As a result of terrorist attacks during the 2^nd intifada, a security barrier was erected between Israel and Palestinian areas of the West Bank. Part of this a barrier was erected around east Jerusalem and separated it from the West Bank. Since its erection, the barrier has significantly reduced terrorism emanating from the West Bank.
• Israeli housing in east Jerusalem has occurred in different types of areas. Neighborhoods such as Ramat Shlomo(which was a rock quarry for King Herod’s Temple expansion) have been built on mainly empty plots of land. Most of the residents of these types of neighborhoods are ultra-orthodox Jews with high birthrates and is treated as any community with natural growth. However, other Jews have moved into Arab majority neighborhoods that have significant Jewish history as recent as the 19^th century. Neighborhoods such as Shiloah(Silwan in Arabic), is famous for its ancient pools mentioned several times in the Bible; or Sheikh Jarrah, which is adjacent to Hebrew University and contains the Tomb of Shimon HaTzaddik, a 2^nd Temple priest.
• In an effort to restart negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, both President Obama and Abbas have specified that Israel must halt all settlement construction as per the 2003 Road Map to Peace. Israel does not consider east Jerusalem to be a distinct entity. Therefore any construction is the same as construction in Tel Aviv or Haifa.
• In March 2010, the Israeli housing authority issued permits for construction in east Jerusalem during a visit by U.S. Vice President Biden. This set off tensions between the current US administration and the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu over the freezing of construction.

The David Project

Jerusalem's History - Outline

April 2010

• Ca. 900 BCE Jerusalem became the capital of the Judean kingdoms under the dynasty of David and Solomon and was the location of the First and Second Temples until their destruction by the Romans in 70 CE
• Jerusalem is the central religious site in the Bible and is mentioned numerous times
• Jerusalem is a significant city in Christianity due to its mention in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles and it being the location where Jesus was crucified and resurrected according to the Christian Gospels
• After the defeat of Bar Kokhba revolt in 132 CE, the Roman’s expelled the Jews from Jerusalem and it became a pagan city
• During the next 5 centuries, Jerusalem remains under Roman then Byzantine rule
• In the 7^th century, Islamic invaders conquer Jerusalem and erect the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. Muslims believe that Mohammed ascended to heaven from the Foundation Stone, which is the site or near the site of the Mt Moriah and the Holy of Holies from the original Jewish Temple. However, Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Koran.
• In the 12^th century, European Christian crusaders conquer Jerusalem and make it the capital of their Kingdom
• In 1517 the Ottoman Turks take control of Jerusalem and the modern walls of the Old City are erected by Suleiman the Magnificent
• Despite the forced exile of the Jews, the Jerusalem always remains a central part of Jewish thought and prayer. Over the centuries, small numbers of Jews return to Jerusalem.
• By the mid 19^th century, Jews once again form the majority of the population
• Jewish settlement in ‘West Jerusalem’ – to the west of the walled Old City, began in the late 19^th century but there were residential enclaves and neighborhoods in the Old City as well as to the north, east and south of the Old City.
• During the First World War, the British army conquers Jerusalem from the Ottomans
• Between 1922 and 1948 Jerusalem is administered by the British under their Palestine Mandate
• The Jewish population continues to grow under the British Mandate
• The 1947 UN partition plan called for Jerusalem to become an international enclave but it was attacked by Arab forces and divided. The city was divided between 1948 and 1967 along a line representing the separation of forces in 1949.
• ‘East Jerusalem’ contains the Mount of Olives, including its enormous Jewish cemetery, and several Jewish neighborhoods that were overrun in 1948
• Jordan annexed Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1950. This move was recognized only by Britain and Pakistan.
• Between 1948 and 1967 Jews were forbidden to enter the Old City of Jerusalem, worship at the Western Wall, and cemeteries and synagogues throughout the area were desecrated and destroyed
• All of Jerusalem was reunited during the Six Day War of 1967. Control over Muslim holy places was returned to Muslim control immediately.
• After 1967 Israeli governments constructed a series of neighborhoods along and over the 1949 armistice line to provide housing for the expanding population and to act as a defensive belt for the city
• In 1980 under the “Jerusalem Law” Jerusalem becomes the eternal and united capital of Israel.