Israel has put Arab East Jerusalem under Israeli civil law - as distinct from the military administration which for many years governed the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli authorities redrew Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries, extending them northwards and southwards. In 1980 Israel passed a law making its annexation of East Jerusalem explicit.

Major Israeli settlements now encircle the northern, eastern and southern perimeters of the city, creating a physical barrier between Palestinians in Jerusalem and those who live in the rest of the West Bank.