Jerusalem 1967-2020: The Truth About Annexation

In June of 1967, Israel conquered East Jerusalem and the West Bank (in addition to the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Gaza Strip).  Later that month, Israel unilaterally - and in contravention of international law - in practice annexed the seven square kilometers of East Jerusalem, and over 60 square kilometers of the West Bank that surrounds it.  These areas were incorporated together into one unit named ‘East Jerusalem,’ subject to the Jerusalem municipality and to Israeli law.  Since 1967 until the present, this is the only area of the West Bank that has actually been annexed to the State of Israel. Therefore, in order to understand the consequences of annexation on both Israelis and Palestinians, it is pertinent to learn from the case of East Jerusalem: