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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, most of whom from families that had been living there for centuries. 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 Christian and Muslim pilgrims (Jews were not allowed access to their holy sites in the city). 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 annexed 6.4 km² of Jordanian Jerusalem and 64 km² of the nearby West Bank to the City of Jerusalem, including several villages and lands from neighboring villages.* The annexation excluded many of East Jerusalem's suburbs and divided several villages. Under Israel, 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. Following 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 on condition they swore allegiance to Israel and renounce 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. Israel has a national holiday to commemorate the unification of both sides of the city, called Jerusalem Day. In 1980 Israel enacted its "Jerusalem Law" formally declaring East and West Jerusalem together, "whole and united" to be "the capital of Israel". In response the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 478 (the U.S. abstained), declaring the annexation to be a violation of international law. In 1988, Jordan, while rejecting Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem, withdrew all its claims to the West Bank (including Jerusalem). The Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles, signed September 13, 1993, leaves open the final status of Jerusalem, though Israel did not cede sovereignty until final negotiations on the city's status. With the stated purpose of preventing infiltration during the Second Intifada, Israel has decided to surround East Jerusalem with a barrier. The planned structure would cut off East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. 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 is about 410,000, comprising 58% of Jerusalem's residents. Of these, 184,000 (45%) are Jews (comprising 38% of the 478,000 Jewish population of Jerusalem, west and east) and 226,000 (55%) are Arabs). These figures include Palestinians living in outlying villages and neighbourhoods (Beit Hanina, northern Shu'afat, Tzur Baher, Sawarha, Qalandia etc.) In integral East Jerusalem (the Old City, Sultan Suleiman, Wadi al-Joz, eastern Abu Tor, Ramot Alon, Ramat Eshkol, Talpiot Mizrach, Armon ha-Netziv, Homat Shmuel, Gilo, Giv'at Shapira, Giv'at Hamivtar, Ramat Shefet etc.), there is today a large Jewish majority. In 1990, there was still a majority of 150,000 Arabs against 120,000 Jews in the inlaying eastern part of the city. The ratio has been reversed to the benefit of the latter. In 1993, East Jerusalem counted 155,000 Arabs (non-Jews, in official Israeli statistics) against 160,000 Israeli Jews. Some 250,000 Israelis then lived in West Jerusalem. All three numbers have since grown considerably. Mayors of Al-Quds (East Jerusalem) See also | ||||||||||
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