Political Term
East Jerusalem is an ambiguous term with heavy political implications. The term Arab Jerusalem is used in official English language documents by Arabs emphasizing the Arabic speaking Palestinian population and distinguishing it from the Hebrew speaking parts of the city. Israelis call the Arab populated part of the city East Jerusalem because of its location in the eastern part of the single larger Jerusalem city unit.
The term East Jerusalem is misleading and may be used to refer to either of the following:
- From 1948 to 1967 it referred to the 6.4 km2 (2.5 sq mi) Jordanian part of the city, just as “West Jerusalem” referred to the Israeli part of the city.
- It may be applied to the area that Israel annexed and included in municipal Jerusalem following its capture by Israel from Jordan in 1967, which lies north, east and south of the former East Jerusalem. This area includes an additional approximate 64 km2 (25 sq mi) of the West Bank, including territory which previously included 28 villages and areas of the Bethlehem and Beit Jala municipalities.
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