1948-1967: A City Embattled and Divided

1. Israeli Sources and Perspectives

On May 14, 1948, Prime Minister Ben-Gfurion declares Israel an independent state (Declaration of Independence). On May 15, Ben-Gurion speaks in a broadcast to the nation, describing the beginning of what has since been known as the War of Independence.

In December 1949, on the eve of a further UN General Assembly vote on the status of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion addresses the Knesseth (the Israeli parliament) reaffirming that "Jewish Jerusalem" (i.e., the Western parts of the city then under Israeli control) should not be internationalized but remain part of the State of Israel.

Assistance to Palestine Refugees - Resolution of the General Assembly, December 8, 1949(1), establishing the relief and work organization for the Palestinian refugees of the Israeli War of Independence.

Also in Dec 1949, the Israeli government begins to move its offices and the parliament (the Knesseth) from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In October 1950, the Palestine Conciliation Commission generates a report on the current attitudes of Israel and its neighboring Arab states on the questions of territory and the return of refugees. The Arab delegations insist on a return of refugees to areas that are currently under the control of the Israeli military since, as they argue, the line of demarcation of the armistice of 1949 should not be considered permanent boundaries. In contrast, Israel insists that negotiations should focus on territory and on making the boundaries of the armistice permanent. Among others, Israel declares that it recognizes the de facto annexation of the West Bank by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

In 1952, Ambassador to the UN Abba Eban outlines the Israeli view on the future development of peaceful relations with Israel's neighbors. Among others, Eban emphasizes that instead of relying on UN mediation, Israel and its neighbors should engage in direct negotiations. In Eban's view, conditions have fundamentally changed since the British mandatory power asked the UN to solve the problem of Palestine. Now it is a matter of one sovereign state negotiating with other sovereign states. The question of Palestinian refugees is also addressed, namely, in a manner that was characteristic of Israeli policy until, with the Oslo process, they began to engage in direct negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. At this early stage and, in some quarters, until now, Israel puts the responsibility for the refugee problem on the neighboring Arab states and weighs its own absorption of Jewish refugees from Europe and from Arab states against the Arab neighbors' refusal to absorb Palestinian refugees into their societies.

2. Jordanian Perspectives

A recent website in honor of the late King Hussein of Jordan features a page on Hashemite rule of Jerusalem, in particular its care for the city and its holy places in the 20th century.