West Jerusalem
West Jerusalem, where the Knesset, the Supreme Court and Yad Vashem stand, plus the corridor down to the coastal plain, including Beit Shemesh.
~580 km²area
~620,000people today
Israel (1949 lines)status
History
- 1947It was part of the proposed international zone and was assigned to neither state.
- 1948The siege of Jewish Jerusalem cut off its 100,000 Jewish residents. Arab neighborhoods such as Katamon and Talbiya were emptied, and the Deir Yassin massacre took place nearby. Israel held the western city at the ceasefire.
- 1949Israel declared Jerusalem its capital and moved the Knesset there.
Today
The seat of Israel's government since 1949. Even the most ambitious Palestinian negotiating positions (Camp David 2000, Olmert 2008) did not claim it.
Select West Jerusalem & corridor on the map