Legal Status of the Population of East Jerusalem since 1967 and the Implications of Israeli Annexation on their Civil and Social Rights

By Advocate Usama Halabi (LLM). "International humanitarian law unequivocally prohibits Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem and the application of Israeli laws, administration and jurisdiction to the occupied city.

However, Israel has disregarded its obligations under IHL, since 1967 and has dealth with Jerusalem differently from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. From the outset of the occupation, Israel has attempted to annex East Jerusalem to create a "complete and united" Capital of Israel, thus imposing Israeli law in the occupied city and making it applicable to residents of occupied Jerusalem. This paper addresses the repurcussions of this decision on the legal status of the residents of Jerusalem and on their civil, political and social rights, and explains the difference between "citizenship" and "permanent residency" according to the Israeli law currently in force in Jerusalem. Further, the paper discusses different continuous attempts by Israel to isolate the City of the West Bank and to weaken its Palestinian population on the one hand, and to strengthen the Jewish presence, on the other." (Excerpt from Introduction)

Read the full paper.

This paper can also be found in 42 Years of Occupation: Jerusalem File.