“Because Israel refused to recognize the U.N. plan for an internationalized Jerusalem and because of its annexation of occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, no country in the world has offered legal and diplomatic recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Most states, however, have unofficially acknowledged Israel’s sovereignty and actual possession, without recognition of lawful title.”
Source: beitemmett.blogspot.com
That is, until now. The United States is planning to move it’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in a move that will have far more reaching implications than the relocation of just about any other embassy on Earth could have, given the geopolitical significance of Jerusalem to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the broader international ties. Below are some resources to contextualize this shift:
- NY Times on the history of Jerusalem as a capital.
- Washington Post on the policy implications.
- Conversation with Israelis and Palestinians on their thoughts.
- The Guardian’s perspective on international relations.
- Political geographer Chad Emmett’s thoughts.
Questions to Ponder: How does this change the status quo at the local, national and international scales? What might be some of the consequences of this move? What would you recommend and why?
Tags: Israel, Palestine, borders, political, Middle East, geopolitics, historical.
GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION 
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