on a hillside in east Jerusalem.
Many see this plan as harmful to a future two-state solution
between Israel and Palestine and the announcement of the plan spurned violence from both
sides.
So, what exactly is going on in east Jerusalem?
2.
Well like most things in the area, it’s history is complicated.
After a truce was called during the
1948 Arab-Israeli war, lines were drawn dividing up the city of Jerusalem, half of the city
was
under Israeli control and half was under Jordanian control.
3.
Then in 1967 the Six Day War broke out with the Arab world once again attacking Israel.
During this conflict, Israel captured East Jerusalem and annexed it as part of their
own country.
4.
Many do not recognize this annexation as legal including the United Nations which passed
Resolution 242 in 1967, asking for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from East Jerusalem.
The
UN also passed another resolution in 1980 again declaring Israel’s claim of Jerusalem
as their
capital null and void.
5.
The issue is coming up again because Israel’s plan to build on land in East Jerusalem
is actually a bigger problem than just their occupying it, because populating a land you’re
occupying with your citizens and housing is considered a violation of the Geneva Conventions.
It would be akin to the US setting up permanent settlements in Afghanistan.
6.
So, where does Palestine fit into all of this?
7.
Well, they want Israel to shrink back to the size they were prior to the Six Day War.
Then they
want to fill that void with their own people and settlements, because they see East Jerusalem
as
the future capital of the state of Palestine.
The international community also supports this policy
because they see giving part of the city to Palestine as a possible way to establish a
two state
solution and a lasting peace in the area.
8.
Israel does not want lose East Jerusalem and they argue that freeing up this area would
actually cause more conflicts not less, because prior to 1967, the area was primarily a war
zone
and they fear that it could become that again if they were to leave.
9.
Adding to all of this tension is the fact that East Jerusalem is home to many sites
that are
considered holy by both sides.
Disputes over one place in particular, known as the Temple
Mount by Jews and Noble Sanctuary by Muslims has led to some of the worst violence seen
in
Jerusalem in ten years.
This includes the most recent attack inside a Jerusalem synagogue that
left four rabbis dead and over a dozen wounded.