TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The decision of the United States President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city has sparked protests from the international community. Many people view that the decision has undermined the peace process between Israel and Palestine and violated international deals.
Below are the reasons why the United States should not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as quoted from CNN and Al Jazeera.
1. Jerusalem is Israel’s occupation area
Under the 1947 UN Partition Plan for Palestine to divide the region into Jewish and Arab states, Jerusalem is given a special status under an international regime. The decision was made since the city is considered holy by three Abrahamic religions.
In the 1948 war, Zionist forces took control of the west side of the city and declare it part of Israel.
Another war broke in 1967 that saw Israel grabbed the east side of Jerusalem, which was under the control of Jordan, and begin occupying it while violating the international law.
In 1980, Israel passed the Jerusalem Law, confirming that the city is Israel’s capital and therefore effectively began the annexation of East Jerusalem.
The UN Security Council later issued a Resolution 478 in the same year stating that the law was null and void.
Israel’s illegal annexation of East Jerusalem violated the principles of international law that the occupying power has no sovereignty over the occupied territory. On that basis, Embassies are based in Tel Aviv.
Read: Tunisians Protest Against Trump's Jerusalem Decision
2. The stance of the international community
The international community, including the United States, officially recognized East Jerusalem as an occupied territory. Moreover, East Jerusalem is not recognized by any country apart from Russia, who announced its recognition on the territory earlier this year.
3. The plight of Palestinians in Jerusalem
Despite de facto co-existence between Palestinians and Israelis in East Jerusalem, the former are not given Israeli citizenship.
Some 420,000 Palestinians living in East Jerusalem have ID cards with permanent residency status. Despite holding Jordan passports, they are not granted national identification numbers. It means that they are neither Jordan citizens nor Israelis.
If Israel claims Jerusalem, Palestinians will suffer even more.
Israel treats Palestinians in East Jerusalem as migrants. They are subjected to specific requirements to retain their residency status and are living in constant fear.
According to data from strategic research agency Jerusalem Institute, some 850,000 people live in Jerusalem, 37 percent of whom are of Arab descent and 61 percent are Jews. Out of the Jewish population, as many as 200,000 people are Orthodox Jews and the rest are secular. Some 96 percent of Arab residents are Muslims and 4 percent are Christians.
Read: Trump Dangles Middle East Peace Plan to Limit Jerusalem Outcry
4. The fate of Palestinians living outside Jerusalem
Every Palestinian living outside Jerusalem borders for a certain period of time, either abroad or even in the West Bank, is at risk of losing their residency status.
If Jerusalem becomes Israel’s permanent capital, they will have difficulty to return to the territory.
Jerusalem residents who have left the city have been receiving harsh treatment from Israel. Those who cannot prove that they have been living for generations in the city may lose their residency status.
Since 1967, Israel has revoked the residency status of 14,000 Palestinians, according to human rights group B’Tselem.
Meanwhile, Jewish diaspora reserve the rights to live in Israel and obtain Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.
5. Illegal Settlement
Israel’s settlement project in East Jerusalem which is aimed at consolidating the control over the city is deemed illegal according to the international law.
The UN has underlined in its resolutions that the project is against the Fourth Geneva Convention that bans the occupying force from moving its citizens to the occupied territory.
Regardless, since 1967, Israel has built over a dozen of settlement complex for Israeli Jews, some of whom are living in the middle of Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem.
Around 200,000 Israelis residing in East Jerusalem are living under the protection of armed forces and the police, with the largest settlement complex house 44,000 Israelis.
Yon Yoseph
