Israel’s is surreptitiously gaining control over East Jerusalem

Israel considers Jerusalem its “complete and undivided” capital, a position solidified by the 1980 Jerusalem Law (WIPO Lex), which serves as the seat for its Knesset (parliament), Supreme Court, and government ministries. While Israel holds full control over the city, particularly after capturing East Jerusalem in 1967, this status is deeply contested internationally. 

Following the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israel annexed East Jerusalem and extended its legal jurisdiction there. West Jerusalem has served as the capital since 1949, with major state institutions located there. Although the U.S. and a few other countries have recognized Jerusalem as the capital and moved their embassies there, most of the international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem.

Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, as it is crucial to their economy, population, and religious history. Efforts to fully unify the city include expanding settlements in the east and restrictive planning policies for Palestinian residents, which are viewed as illegal under international law. 

Israel aims to secure Jerusalem as its “undivided” capital, with all branches of government located there. Control over East Jerusalem, particularly the Old City, is central to Israeli national and religious identity. Israel has sought to expand its control through municipal annexation, land policies, and infrastructure development to ensure a Jewish majority in the area.

The international community overwhelmingly considers East Jerusalem to be occupied Palestinian territory, rejecting Israel’s 1980 annexation as a violation of international law regarding the acquisition of territory by force.

Palestinians view East Jerusalem as the essential capital for a future Palestinian state, resisting Israeli efforts to incorporate it into their territory. Based on the context of ongoing territorial consolidation and security management in Jerusalem, Israel’s control over Jaffa Gate is part of a broader strategy to assert sovereignty over East Jerusalem. It facilitates the restriction of Palestinian movement, enables settlement expansion in the Old City, and maintains high-surveillance, security-driven access for tourism and Jewish settlers. 

By controlling key access points like Jaffa Gate, Israeli authorities solidify control over the Old City and East Jerusalem, which were occupied in 1967. The area is managed to monitor, restrict, or facilitate traffic, particularly during heightened tensions or holidays, prioritizing security over free passage. The gate acts as a primary entry point for tourist infrastructure, encouraging Jewish presence in the Old City and surrounding areas. The management of access points directly impacts the Palestinian economy, as documented with the restriction of movement in the West Bank. This approach aligns with the long-term policy of creating a, as described in search results, “united Jerusalem” under Israeli sovereignty. 

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Israeli authorities utilize control over key access points like Jaffa Gate to assert, secure, and solidify dominion over the Old City and East Jerusalem, areas occupied since the 1967 war. This control, maintained through security infrastructure, serves to enforce Israeli policy and presence in the city. 

Significant dimensions of control include the very Significance of Jaffa Gate as a main entrance to the Old City. Controlling Jaffa Gate is a strategic mechanism for controlling movement into the area. East Jerusalem, including the Old City, was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War, it transformed the very essence of the landscape of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The presence at such access points is part of a broader, long-term policy to consolidate control over the area, which the international community largely considers occupied territory, despite Israeli claims of sovereignty. The control of access points is part of a system that restricts movement for Palestinians while asserting Israeli authority, as some accounts claim.  

Based on the description of an area managed to monitor, restrict, or facilitate traffic, prioritizing security over free passage during heightened tensions or holidays, the answer is a Security Zone or a Controlled/Restricted Area (such as a Cantonment area, high-security perimeter, or a restricted zone around a sensitive site). 

Israel’s primary objective is to maintain safety and security by regulating access, often in response to threats or, in the context of urban traffic management, during heavy congestion on public holidays. These areas utilize CCTV, security personnel, checkpoints, physical barriers, and traffic diversions. Such measures are frequently employed in military cantonments, government-restricted areas, or around major public events where “security-related restrictions” are prioritized over easy movement. In these zones, “free passage” is secondary to ensuring that only authorized vehicles or individuals pass through, with “heightened surveillance” applied. 

Based on the description of an area managed to monitor, restrict, or facilitate traffic, prioritizing security over free passage during heightened tensions or holidays, the answer is a Security Zone or a Controlled/Restricted Area (such as a Cantonment area, high-security perimeter, or a restricted zone around a sensitive site). 

The strategic use of tourism, particularly in areas like Silwan/Wadi Hilweh, serves as a mechanism for expanding Jewish presence in East Jerusalem and the Old City. Organizations such as Elad manage archaeological sites, using them as primary entry points to connect tourist infrastructure with the expansion of residential settlement, often altering the demographic landscape and altering the historical narrative of the area. 

Tourism projects and archaeological digs, such as in the City of David (Silwan), are integrated with the establishment of Jewish homes, creating a combined tourism-settler model.

The development includes visitor centres, tourist attractions, and transportation routes designed to facilitate access for visitors and residents, which can physically isolate or displace Palestinian communities in the vicinity.

Critics argue that these efforts, often supported by Elad, use archaeology to promote a specific religious and nationalist narrative, which strengthens the Jewish presence in historically Palestinian areas. The expansion is part of a broader, long-term strategy involving the creation of “ring neighbourhoods” and, in some cases, the separation barrier, to secure East Jerusalem as part of a consolidated city under Israeli control. 

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Stringent Israeli management of West Bank access points, including hundreds of checkpoints and roadblocks, severely cripples the Palestinian economy by obstructing trade, restricting labour mobility, and increasing transaction costs. These restrictions, part of a “separation” policy, have led to significant economic contraction, with trade shrinking by over 60% and substantial daily losses in working hours. 

As of late 2024, over 790 physical obstacles—checkpoints, roadblocks, and barriers—segment the West Bank, restricting movement between Palestinian towns and hindering access to essential services and agricultural land.

Following October 2023, increased restrictions caused a sharp economic downturn, including a massive loss of employment for over 170,000 workers, reduced GDP, and a severe reduction in trade.

The “back-to-back” system at checkpoints, where goods are transferred between trucks, significantly increases transportation costs, damages goods due to delays, and reduces the competitiveness of Palestinian exports. Restrictions have severely impacted the ability of Palestinians to access land in Area C, which is critical for agriculture and development. 

The World Bank and other bodies have documented that these measures, which often prioritize the security of Israeli settlements, have created an unfavourable investment climate and prevent the development of a sustainable Palestinian economy. 

This plan aims to connect East Jerusalem with the large settlement of Maale Adumim, cutting off the northern West Bank from the southern part and hindering the development of a contiguous Palestinian state.

The ongoing construction of settlements and, particularly, the expansion of the “annexation wall” in and around Jerusalem have been key tools for cementing this policy. These policies have led to the fragmentation of Palestinian areas, restricted Palestinian movement, and limited their access to Jerusalem.

The International Court of Justice and various UN bodies have identified these actions, including the annexation of East Jerusalem, as violations of international law. This policy aims to create a permanent, unified Jerusalem, which, from the Israeli perspective, is to remain the nation’s capital, while from the perspective of many international observers, it constitutes an “irreversible”, illegal, and unilateral change to the city’s status. 

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.