December 2013
Written by: Adv. Yotam Ben-Hillel
Cover photo: Bab al-Asbat (The Lion’s Gate) and the Old City of Jerusalem. (Photo by: JC
Tordai, 2010)
This publication has been produced with the assistance of theEuropean Union. The contents of this publication are the sole
responsibility of the authors and can under no circumstances be
regarded as reflecting the position or the official opinion of theEuropean Union.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent, international humanitarian nongovernmental organisation that provides assistance, protection and durable solutions to
refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide.
The author wishes to thank Adv. Emily Schaeffer for her insightful comments during the
preparation of this study.

2

Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... 3
1.

Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 52.

Background ............................................................................................................................ 6

3.

Israeli Legislation Following the 1967 Occupation ............................................................ 8
3.1 Applying the Israeli law, jurisdiction and administration to East Jerusalem .................... 8
3.2 The Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel ................................................................... 10

4.

The Status of East Jerusalem According to International Law ...................................... 12
4.1 The Law of Occupation ................................................................................................... 12
4.1.1 Occupation and Annexation ................................................................................... 12
4.1.2 Other Relevant Principles ....................................................................................... 14
4.2 The principle of self-determination ................................................................................. 17
4.3 Relevancy to East Jerusalem ........................................................................................... 19
4.4 The Stance of the International Community ................................................................... 21
4.5 The conflict between Israeli and International Law ........................................................ 22

5.

The Civil Status of East Jerusalem’s Palestinian Residents ............................................ 24
5.1 Israeli Law ....................................................................................................................... 24
5.2 International Law Perspective ......................................................................................... 25
5.3 The Stance of the Israeli Courts ...................................................................................... 28

6.

Conclusions........................................................................................................................... 293

Green Line
Old City
Municipal Boundary
Barrier- Completed
Route of the Barrier- Planned
Checkpoint/ Terminal
Palestinian Built-up Area
Israeli Built-up area Beyond the Green Line
Industrial ParkE-1 Master Plan

4‫ مؤسسة القدس الدنيوية‬:‫الخارطة من‬

1.

Introduction

The debate over Jerusalem’s status is not merely a legal one. To a great extent it is a political
discussion which involves national aspirations mixed with religious claims. It is also a rather
old debate and, as some would claim, one that did not begin as a result of the Israeli
occupation and annexation of Jerusalem following the 1967 War, nor even in the wake of thewar in 1948, but in fact thousands of years ago, before the common era.
With this in mind, the analysis presented in this document focuses only on the legal aspects
pertaining to the status of Jerusalem. Moreover, disregarding the fact that the legal status of
Jerusalem as a whole, following the 1948 War, is the subject of great debate,1 this document
will only address questions regarding the legal status of East Jerusalem2 and the legality of
Israel's claim of sovereignty over East Jerusalem since 1967.
This document will begin with a short background on the legal situation subsequent to theNovember 1947 partition plan, adopted by the United Nations (UN), followed by adescription of the Israeli occupation and subsequent annexation of East Jerusalem and theIsraeli legislation aimed at strengthening its hold over the area. The document then analyses
this legislation from an international law perspective.
An analysis of the legal status of East Jerusalem is not complete without a discussion of thecivil status of Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem. This will be dealt with in the second
part of the document. As we shall see, these residents have a unique status under Israeli law,which may be revoked relatively easily, resulting in a perpetual threat of displacement.

1See, e.g. Antonio Cassese, “Legal Considerations on the International Status of Jerusalem”, The Palestine
Yearbook of International Law, Vol. III, 1986, 13, and the references mentioned there.
2
The term “East Jerusalem” refers today to all the land that was annexed to the State of Israel following the1967 war. See chapter ‎3 below.

5

2.

BackgroundOn 29 November 1947, the General Assembly of the UN adopted a resolution (referred to as
the UN Partition Plan for Palestine) that recommended the termination of the British Mandate
in Palestine and the establishment of separate independent Arab and Jewish states in
Mandatory Palestine.3 As for Jerusalem,4 the General Assembly recommended the creation of
a separate entity (corpus separatum), demilitarised and neutral, and the establishment of a
special international regime in the city administered by a UN-affiliated Trusteeship Council.5
Following the adoption of the resolution, which was ultimately rejected by the Palestinian
Arab community, a civil war erupted between Jewish and Arab communities throughout
Palestine. On 14 May 1948, the British Mandate over Palestine ended, and Israel proclaimed
its independence. Following this proclamation, the armed conflict then spread, culminating in
the 1948 War with Palestinians and a number of Arab states on one side and the new State ofIsrael on the other.
During the 1948 War, Israel captured the western area of Jerusalem. Virtually the entire
Palestinian urban population of 28,000 had left or been driven from the western quarters of
the city and became refugees.6 At the same time, the eastern part of Jerusalem (part of what is
now termed as ‘East Jerusalem’), including the Old City, and the West Bank came under
Jordanian control.
In 1949, with mediation from the UN, general armistice agreements were concluded between
the parties in conflict. On 3 April 1949, Israel and Jordan signed an armistice agreement in
Rhodes.7 Articles V and VI of that agreement fixed the armistice demarcation line between
Israeli and Arab forces (often later referred to as the “Green Line”, owing to the green colour
used to mark it on maps). In UN General Assembly and Security Council Resolutions passed
after the signing of the armistice agreement, the international community’s position regarding
Jerusalem’s legal status remained resolute, with repeated calls for the immediate andunconditional “demilitarisation” and “internationalisation” of Jerusalem.8
While the UN attempted to create a corpus separatum in Jerusalem, in accordance with thepartition plan, the parties established facts on the ground that prevented this from happening.
On 5 December, 1949, the Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion declared that “Jewish
Jerusalem [West Jerusalem] is an organic and integral part of the State of Israel”.9 However,a few days later, the internationalisation of Jerusalem under the UN Trusteeship Council was
reaffirmed by the General Assembly.10 Despite this, on 13 December 1950, in his
3

G.A. Res. 181 (II), U.N. GAOR, 2nd Sess., U.N. Doc. A/519 (1947).
According to the Partition Plan, the boundaries of Jerusalem included “the present municipality of Jerusalem
plus the surrounding villages and towns, the most eastern of which shall be Abu Dis; the most southern,
Bethlehem; the most western, 'Ein Karim (including also the built-up area of Motsa); and the most northern
Shu'fat”. See Ibid., Part III(B).
5
Ibid., Part III.
6
Michael Dumper, The Politics of Jerusalem Since 1967, New York, 1997, p. 67.
7
Israel-Jordan, General Armistice Agreement, Apr. 3, 1949, 42 U.N.T.S. 303.
8
For example refer to: UN General Assembly, Palestine-Progress Report of the United Nations Mediator, 11
December 1948, A/RES/194. See also, UN General Assembly, Palestine: question of an international regime for
the Jerusalem area and the protection of the Holy Places, 9 December 1949, A/RES/303.
9
Divrei HaKnesset (Knesset Record), Session 93, 5 December 1949, p .5.
10
UN General Assembly, Palestine: question of an international regime for the Jerusalem area and theprotection of the Holy Places, 9 December 1949, A/RES/303.
4

6

announcement before the Knesset (the Israeli parliament), Ben-Gurion declared Jerusalem tobe the capital of Israel and repeated the Israeli government's stance according to which
Jerusalem should remain under Israel’s control. Ben-Gurion added that the creation of a
corpus separatum would contradict the will of the residents of Jerusalem and harm “anhistorical and natural right of the people living in Zion”.11
On 24 April 1950, the Jordanian National Assembly approved the annexation of the WestBank to Jordan (with the eastern part of Jerusalem included in the West Bank). Theinternational reaction towards Jordan’s action was quite similar to the reaction regarding
Israel’s previous similar action. Almost all the states of the world, including the Arab League,
repudiated this Jordanian action.12 Following this criticism, on 31 May 1950 Jordan
announced before the Arab League that the unification of the two banks of the Jordan River
under Jordanian rule was not meant to harm the final settlement of the question of Palestine.13
The General Assembly of the UN then dealt with the status of Jerusalem a few times during
the early 1950s but did not reach any decision on the matter. This question was raised again
only following the 1967 War.14

11

Divrei HaKnesset (Knesset Record), Session 96, 13-14 December 1949, p. 6.
See Larry Kletter, “The Sovereignty of Jerusalem in International Law”, Columbia Journal of TransnationalLaw, Vol. 20(1), 1981, 319, pp. 344-345.
13
Moshe Hirsch and Debra Housen-Couriel, Supervised by Ruth Lapidoth, The Jerusalem Question – Proposals
for its Resolution, The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 1994, p. 6 [Hebrew].
14
Ibid., p. 5.
12

7

3.

Israeli Legislation Following the 1967 Occupation

In June 1967, further conflict broke out between the State of Israel and its neighbours. During
this 1967 War, Israel occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights,
the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. Immediately after the 1967 War the Government ofIsrael unilaterally annexed about 70,500 dunams (approximately 17,400 acres) of the
Jordanian Jerusalem and West Bank land to the municipal boundaries of West Jerusalem. In
addition to the areas of Jerusalem that had previously been controlled by Jordan(approximately 6,500 dunams), the annexed lands included an additional 64,000 dunams,
most of which belonged to 28 Palestinian villages in the West Bank; the remaining annexed
lands were within the municipal boundaries of Bethlehem and Beit Jala. With thisannexation, the total area of Jerusalem tripled, making Jerusalem Israel’s largest city, in bothterritory and population.15 This annexed territory is known today as “East Jerusalem”.
The demarcation of Jerusalem’s new municipal borders was based on alleged security
concerns (delineation of defensible borders) and demographic considerations, i.e., ensuring a
Jewish majority in the city. The principle at the base of these demographic considerations
was “maximum territory and minimum population”. This translated into a practice ofannexing as much territory as possible to the municipal boundaries, which could be used forbuilding new settlements for a Jewish population, while at the same time excluding heavily
populated Palestinian areas from the new boundaries.16
3.1

Applying the Israeli law, jurisdiction and administration to East Jerusalem

In order to enable these changes and strengthen its hold over the annexed area, Israel took
several legal steps. On 27 June 1967, the Knesset adopted an amendment to the Law andAdministration Ordinance, stipulating in Article 11b that “the law, jurisdiction andadministration of the State shall apply to all the area of the Land of Israel which thegovernment has determined by Order”.17 On the next day, 28 June 1967, the Israeli
government instituted the Law and Administration Order, which applied the “law,jurisdiction and administration of the State” to East Jerusalem.18 The Knesset then authorised
the Minister of the Interior to extend the boundaries of any municipality to include any area
designated by government order.19 Accordingly, the Minister of the Interior expanded theborders of what had been West Jerusalem to include the recently occupied sector of the WestBank mentioned above.20 Israel then, by proclamation under the Municipalities Ordinance,
15

B’Tselem, A Policy of Discrimination: Land Expropriation, Planning and Building in East Jerusalem, May
1995, p. 10.
16
Ibid., and the sources that are mentioned there; Bimkom and Ir Shalem, The Planning Deadlock: Planning
Policy, Land Regularization, Building Permits and House Demolitions in East Jerusalem, December 2004, pp.
13-14 [Hebrew].
17
Law and Administration Ordinance (Amendment No. 11) – 1948, Laws of the State of Israel No. 499, 28 June
1967, p. 74. The term “Land of Israel” (Eretz Israel) means the territory of mandate Palestine, which includes
the West Bank.
18
The Law and Administration Order (No. 1) – 1967, Israeli Collection of Regulations No. 2064, 28 June 1967,
p. 2690.
19
Municipalities Ordinance (Amendment No. 6) – 1948, Laws of the State of Israel No. 499, 28 June 1967, p.
74.
20
Order by the Minister of the Interior, Israeli Collection of Regulations No. 2063, 28 June 1967, p. 2670.

8

stipulated that the annexed territory was included within the boundaries of the Jerusalem
Municipality.21
The round of rapid enactment of legislation after the 1967 War concluded with the enactmentof the Protection of Holy Places Law on 28 June 1967, which provided that “the Holy Places
shall be protected from desecration and any other violation and from anything likely toviolate the freedom of access of the members of different religions to the places sacred tothem or their feelings with regard to those places”.22 It seems that by enacting this law anddemonstrating respect to religious places sacred to all religions, Israel tried to firstly alleviatepossible international criticism that it expected due to its annexation measures; and secondly
reduce friction between the different communities in Jerusalem, which was important to help
build support for continued Israeli control over the city.23
According to the formal Israeli stance at the time, this newly enacted legislation did notamount to a claim of sovereignty over East Jerusalem.24 The UN, however, viewed thelegislative measures as thinly-disguised annexation, despite Israel's protestations to thecontrary, and condemned Israel for the de facto annexation.25 The Israeli Supreme Court
refrained, at that time, from stating plainly that the area of East Jerusalem had been annexed
to Israel. However, some judges addressed this issue directly. Thus, in a High Court ofJustice decision from 1969 Justice Binyamin Halevi asserted that following the
aforementioned legislation “the united Jerusalem is an integral part of Israel”.26
Another case, decided before the High Court of Justice in 1970, explored this issue ofannexation further. It involved two Palestinians of East Jerusalem, who ran an antique store
in East Jerusalem and were accused by the Israeli military prosecutor of the West Bank,
according to the Jordanian Antique Law applied in the West Bank (which continued to apply
in the West Bank after the Israeli occupation of 1967), of illegally exporting antiques fromthe West Bank to their store in East Jerusalem. The brothers petitioned the High Court ofJustice and claimed that the transfer of the antiques did not qualify as “exporting” since East
Jerusalem was not considered to be “abroad” from the West Bank. The High Court dismissed
the petition, stating that following Israeli legislation after the 1967 War, East Jerusalem was
no longer under the jurisdiction of the Jordanian Antique Law and, therefore, was considered
to be “abroad”. Referring to this situation, Justice Yitzhak Kahan asserted that East Jerusalem“was annexed to the State of Israel and it is part of its territory”.27 Yet, the two other Judges
in the same case refrained from stating this explicitly and one of them, Justice Haim Cohen,
21

Municipalities Ordinance (Declaration on the Enlargement of Jerusalem's City Limits), Israeli Collection ofRegulations No. 2065, 28 June 1967, p. 2694.
22
The Protection of Holy Places 1948, Laws of the State of Israel No. 499, 28 June 1967, p. 75, Article 1.
23
Terry Rempel, “The Significance of Israel's Partial Annexation of East Jerusalem”, The Middle East Journal,
Vol. 51(4), 520, Autumn 1997, p. 526 and sources mentioned therein.
24
Abba Eban, who served as the Foreign Minister of Israel at that time, wrote to the U.N. Secretary-General that“the [legislative] measures adopted relate to the integration of Jerusalem in the administrative and municipal
spheres, and furnish a legal basis for the protection of the Holy Places of Jerusalem” (Report of the SecretaryGeneral at 3, U.N. Doc. A/6753 (1967), reprinted in 6 Int'l Leg. Mat. 846 (1967) at: John Quigley, “Jerusalem:
The Illegality of Israel's Encroachment”, The Palestine Yearbook of International Law Vol. 9, 19, 1996/1997, p.
30).
25
S.C. Res. 252, U.N. SCOR, 23d Sess., U.N. Doc. S/8590/Rev.2 (1968); S.C. Res. 478, U.N. SCOR, 35th
Sess., U.N. Doc. S, 14113 (1980).
26
HCJ 171/68 Hanzalis v. Ecclesiastical Court of the Greek Orthodox Church, (1969) 23(1) PD 260, 269. In
this regard, see also HCJ 223/67 Ben-Dov v. Minister of Religions, (1968) 22(1) PD 440 (Supreme Court Chief
Justice Shimon Agranat, p. 442).
27
HCJ 283/69 Rweidi v. Military Court, Hebron District, (1970) 24(2) PD 419, 424.

9

stipulated only that “there is no hindrance to apply the Israeli law on occupied territories even
without the aim to annex them to Israel”.28 In this way, the High Court effectively confirmed
the de facto annexation of East Jerusalem to Israel and the subsequent application of Israeli
domestic law to it.
3.2

The Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel

In 1980, the Knesset enacted the Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel.29 This Law
stipulates, in Article 1, that “Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel”.
Although this Law did not change the internal Israeli legal framework relating to East
Jerusalem (which had already been confirmed by the legislation enacted after the 1967 War),
the Law did clearly express the Israeli political position, which claimed the right to apply its
sovereignty over East Jerusalem.30 Given that the entire city – “complete and united” – isdeclared to be the capital of Israel, there is no doubt that the Knesset considered East
Jerusalem annexed.31 Furthermore, an Israeli Supreme Court ruling from 1993 stipulated thatthe Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel is an explicit manifestation of Israeli sovereignty
over East Jerusalem and that the territory of “united Jerusalem” is part of the territory of theState of Israel.32
In 2000, the Knesset amended the Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel. The amendment,
which served to reinforce Israel’s de facto legal tenure over East Jerusalem, began with theaddition of Article 5, which stated that the “borders of Jerusalem include, for the purposes ofthis Basic Law, among other things, the entire territory described in the Municipalities
Ordinance”.33 The amendment also added Article 6, which established that “there shall not betransferred to any foreign agent, political or governmental, or to any other similar foreign
agent, whether permanently or for a defined period, any authority that relates to the border ofJerusalem and which was lawfully granted to the State of Israel or to the Jerusalem
Municipality”. Finally, the Knesset added Article 7, which states that “the provisions ofArticles 5 and 6 may only be amended by a Basic Law that is passed by a majority of themembers of Knesset” [meaning – at least 61 members of the Knesset].
On 22 November 2010 the Knesset enacted a law, which stated that before signing andratifying any withdrawal from a territory on which the law, jurisdiction and administration of28

Ibid., p. 423. In regard to a similar opinion see HCJ 205/82 Abu Salach v. Minister of the Interior, (1983)
37(2) PD 718, 720 (in this later case this statement pertained to the status of the Golan Heights).
29
Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel, Laws of the State of Israel No. 980, 5 August 1980, p. 186, Article 1.
Israel has no written constitution in one single document, but rather a number of Basic Laws pertaining (at least
theoretically) to all aspects of life including fundamental features of government and protection of human rights.
According to a Knesset decision from 1950, these Basic Laws constitute chapters of the future constitution of
the State of Israel, which will be formulated once the task of enacting the Basic Laws is concluded. To date, thiswork has not been completed. The normative superiority of Basic Laws over ordinary legislation was confirmed
in 1995, when the Israeli Supreme Court assumed the power of judicial review of Knesset legislation violating a
Basic Law. Some Basic Laws (and sometimes only specific sections of these laws) may only be amended by aspecial majority of the Knesset members, defined in the Basic Law itself.
30
Eyal Benvenisti, Eyal Zamir, “Private Claims to Property Rights in the Future Israeli-Palestinian Settlement”,
The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 89(2) (April, 1995), 295, p. 307.
31
Yoram Dinstein, The International Law of Belligerent Occupation, Cambridge University press (2009), p. 18.
32
HCJ 4185/90 Temple Mount Faithful Association v. Attorney General, (1993) 47(5) PD 221, 282-285.
33
Article 5 relates here to the proclamation made under the Municipalities Ordinance (Declaration on the
Enlargement of Jerusalem's City Limits), stipulated that the annexed territory was included in the boundaries of
the Jerusalem Municipality. See supra note 21.

10the State of Israel apply, the government should seek the approval of the Knesset and, in
addition, hold a referendum.34 The purpose of the law, which was broadly criticised,35 seems
to have been to place another obstacle in front of any agreement that would include Israeli
withdrawal from territories on which, according to the Knesset, Israeli law applied (i.e., East
Jerusalem and the Golan Heights).
As we can see, despite its attempts to diminish the wide ranging ramifications of the relevant
legislation passed after the 1967 War and the evasion of terms such as “annexation” and“sovereignty” in that legislation, there is no doubt today that Israel considers East Jerusalem
to be annexed to it. Also, the facts
Israel has laid on the groundthroughout
theyears,
whichaccompanied the aforementioned
legislation, seem to clarify Israel's
intentions. Although elaboration on all
those measures designated forstrengthening the Israeli hold of East
Jerusalem goes beyond the scope of
this document, it is worth mentioning,
as non-exhaustive examples, themassive expropriation of lands onwhich Israeli settlements were later
established;36 the extensive planning The Wall in Qalandiya, the northern part of East Jerusalem. Photo:for the Israeli population with JC Tordai, 2010.
restrictive planning for Palestinian
population;37 the route and construction of The Wall that mostly follows the municipal
borders (as extended in 1967) and emphasises the boundaries of the annexation;38 and theusage of other Israeli domestic legislation in order to take over Palestinian properties. 39 Someof these practices will be further discussed below.

34

The Administration and Law Procedures Law (The Cancellation of the Application of the Law, Jurisdiction
and Administration) (Amendment), 5771-2010, Laws of the State of Israel No. 2263, 28 November 2010, p. 58.
According to this law, the Knesset must approve the agreement by a majority of its members and then the final
approval will be subject to a national referendum, unless approved first by 80 or more members of the Knesset.
However, it is important to note that the law itself is not a Basic Law – i.e. it is not superior to other laws
enacted by the Knesset – and, in addition, it may be changed (or even cancelled) by regular-majority Knesset
decision.
35
See, i.e., Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in thePalestinian Territories occupied since 1967, Richard Falk, U.N. Doc. A/HCR/16/72 (10 January 2011) pp. 7-8.
A petition challenging the law was filed to the Israeli High Court of Justice on 13 December 2010 (HCJ 9149/10
Dr. Mohammad S. Watad v. Israeli Knesset et al.). As of the writing of this paper, this petition is still pending.
36
See, in this regard: B’Tselem, A Policy of Discrimination, supra note 15.
37See, in this regard: Bimkom and Ir Shalem, The Planning Deadlock, supra note 16.
38
See, in this regard: B’Tselem, A Wall in Jerusalem: Obstacles to Human Rights in the Holy City, 2006.
39
See, in this regard: NRC, The Absentee Property Law and Its Implementation in East Jerusalem: A Legal
Guide and Analysis, May 2013; The Civic Coalition for Defending Palestinians' Rights in Jerusalem,
Dispossession and Eviction in Jerusalem: The cases and stories of Sheikh Jarrah, December 2009.

11

4.

The Status of East Jerusalem According to International Law

According to Israeli domestic law, therefore, not only does Israeli law apply to the territory of
East Jerusalem, Israel also considers East Jerusalem an integral part of its territory. However,
the territory of a state or its sovereign borders is a matter to be decided by international law,and not according to the domestic law of a state.40 It is, therefore, essential to examine theway that international law views the Israeli passing of legislation with regard to East
Jerusalem.
4.1

The Law of Occupation

As mentioned above, following the 1967 War the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, cameunder Israel's occupation. Israel's actions regarding this territory should, therefore, be
scrutinized first and foremost according to the principles of international humanitarian law
that deals specifically with times of armed conflict and includes a specific set of rules for thesituation of occupation.41
4.1.1

Occupation and Annexation

The situation of occupation is, by its nature, temporary. Thus, the framework of the laws ofoccupation seek to maintain the status quo until a legitimate sovereign, chosen throughinternational agreement or other legitimate process, takes responsibility over the occupied
territory. In 1907, the Hague Convention (IV) Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on
Land of 1907 and its annexed regulations (together referred to as the “Hague Regulations”)
came into force. The Hague Regulations are now widely recognised as customaryinternational law, and thus are binding on Israel, including with regard to the occupied
Palestinian territories.42
In 1949, in the wake of World War II, four conventions for the protection of war victims
were adopted in Geneva. The most relevant to our discussion is the Fourth Geneva
Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War from 194943(hereinafter: “the Fourth Geneva Convention”), which added a range of duties, incumbent on
40

Amnon Rubenstein and Barak Medina, The Constitutional Law of the State of Israel ,sixth edition, 2005, p.
924 [Hebrew]; Yoram Dinstein, “Zion in International Law Will be Redeemed”, Hapraklit Vol. 27, 1971, 5, p. 7
[Hebrew].
41
The fact that Israel has the status of an occupying power in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is sharedby most international law scholars and was approved by the International Court of Justice (see ICJ, Legal
Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Advisory Opinion, 43 IL M
1009 (2004), par. 78). See also: ICRC, Official Statement, Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth
Geneva Convention, Geneva, 5 Dec 2001.
42
Legal norms are considered customary, and thus are binding on all states, when the overwhelming majority ofstates operate according to these norms for a lengthy period of time, out of belief that this practice is renderedobligatory by the existence of rule of law requiring it. In regard to the Hague Regulations, see: IMT, The Trial
against Goering, et al., Judgment of 1October 1946, International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, The Trial of
the Major War Criminals, (1947), Vol. 1, pp. 64-65; ICJ, Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in
the Occupied Palestinian Territory, supra note 41, par. 89.
43
Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (Fourth Geneva
Convention), 12 August 1949, 75 UNTS 287.

12

the occupying power, toward the civilian population of the occupied territory – the protected
persons – that found themselves under the control of the occupying power.44
Some of the international humanitarian law principles and provisions relevant to the situationin East Jerusalem will be elaborated on below.
No transfer of sovereignty
The law of occupation rests on the very basic tenet, according to which the use of force
cannot lead to or cause any transfer or change of sovereignty. According to Eyal Benvenisti,“the foundation upon which the entire law of occupation is based is the principle ofinalienability of sovereignty through the actual or threatened use of force. Effective control
by foreign military force can never bring about by itself a valid transfer of sovereignty”.45
The notion that sovereignty cannot be acquired through military conquest arises from thegeneral prohibition on the use of force,46 and it applies even where the conquest of land byforce is allegedly done in self-defence pursuant to Article 51 of the UN Charter. The basis forthis assertion is the limitation to the right of self-defence, namely that the force used beproportionate to the threat of immediate danger. Based on this constraint, when the threat has
diminished, the state purporting to defend itself no longer sustains the right to self-defence.
Therefore, the right to have recourse to self-defence does not include the right to permanently
seize the territory of the other party.47
Restrictions to changes to local laws and introducing new legislation
Article 43 of the Hague Regulations, which established the basic tenets of the role of theoccupying power in administering an occupied territory, including the temporary nature ofoccupation, stipulates that “[t]he Authority of the legitimate power having in fact passed into
the hands of the occupant, the latter shall take all measures in his power to restore and ensure,as far as possible, public order and safety, while respecting, unless absolutely prevented, thelaws in force in the country”.

44

The leading opinion of international law commentators is that at the time of 1949, the Fourth Geneva
Convention represented the mixture of both conventional and customary law. However, since the 1990s, theoverwhelming majority of modern legal scholars have taken the view that the bulk of the provisions of the
Fourth Geneva Convention have now solidified into customary international law (see Yutaka Arai-Takahashi,
The Law of Occupation: Continuity and Change of International Humanitarian Law, and its Interaction with
International Human Rights Law, Leiden, Boston (2009), pp. 59-64). The official Israeli government position isthat it does not reflect customary international law but the Israeli government has declared that it was willing torespect the Convention’s “humanitarian provisions” (see, e.g. HCJ 698/80 Kawasme v. Minister of Defence,(1980) 35(1) PD 617, pp. 627-628; HCJ 3278/02 Hamoked - The Center for the Defence of the Individual v. IDF
Commander, (2002) 57(1) PD 385, p. 396; HCJ 7862/04 Abu Dahar v. IDF Commander, (2005) 59(5) PD 368,
p. 376). Although Israel is a party to the Convention, the official Israeli government position is that it does notapplicable to the occupied Palestinian territories (for elaboration on the Israeli position and its rejection by theinternational community see, e.g., Orna Ben-Naftali, Aeyal M. Gross & Keren Michaeli “Illegal Occupation:
Framing the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, Berkeley Journal Of International Law, Vol. 23(3), 2005, 551, pp.
567-570).
45
Eyal Benvenisti, The International Law of Occupation, Princeton University Press (1993), pp. 5-6.
46
The Charter of the United Nations, June 26, 1945, 59 Stat. 1031, T.S. 993, 3 Bevans 1153, entered into force
24 October 1945 (UN Charter), Article 2(4).
47
Ben-Naftali, Gross and Michaeli, “Illegal Occupation”, supra note 44, pp. 570-572; Robert Y. Jennings, The
Acquisition of Territory in International Law (1963), pp. 54-55.

13

Thus, Article 43 does not confer sovereign powers on the occupying power, but rather limits
its authority to maintain public order and civil life, “while respecting, unless absolutely
prevented, the laws in force in the country”.48 The occupying power may not extend its own
legislation over the occupied territory nor act as a sovereign legislator. It must, as a matter ofprinciple, respect the laws in force in the occupied territory at the beginning of theoccupation. Article 43 is an exceptional clause of limitation, the goal of which is not to create
privileges for the occupying power, but rather to impose restraints on it.49 The occupying
power must act in the best interests of the local population except where prevented fromdoing so by military necessity.50
Article 64 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which aims to clarify the rule set out in Article
43 of the Hague Regulations, adds that introducing new legislation (or changes to the current
legislation) by the occupying power may be made when it is ‘essential’ to the realisation of
three objectives: (i) to implement international humanitarian law; (ii) to maintain the orderly
government of the territory and (iii) to ensure the security of the occupying power and the
local administration.51
Another important provision, in particular regarding cases of annexation, is Article 47 of the
Fourth Geneva Convention. Article 47 stipulates that “protected persons who are in occupied
territory shall not be deprived, in any case or in any manner whatsoever, of the benefits of thepresent Convention by any change introduced, as the result of the occupation of a territory”.
One of the changes specified by the Article is “any annexation… of the whole or part of theoccupied territory” by the occupying power. It should be noted that the reference toannexation in Article 47 cannot be considered as implying recognition that acquiring
sovereignty through annexation is legal. According to Jean S. Pictet, “occupation as a resultof a war… cannot imply any right whatsoever to dispose of territory… A decision on thatpoint can only be reached in the peace treaty”.52
4.1.2

Other Relevant Principles

The law of occupation is imperative for the discussion not only in regard to the illegality ofannexation. In light of the above, and as Article 47 stipulates that the annexation must notlead to protected persons being deprived of the rights and safeguards provided for them by
the law of occupation, an international humanitarian law perspective is also important inorder to examine the Israeli legislation and practices in East Jerusalem. Some of the main48

Ben-Naftali, Gross and Michaeli, “Illegal Occupation”, supra note 44, p. 571.
Marco Sassoli, “Article 43 of the Hague Regulations and Peace operations in the twenty-first Century”,
Background Paper prepared for Informal High-Level Expert Meeting on Current Challenges to International
Humanitarian
Law,
Cambridge,June25-27,
2004,
pp.
5-6.
Availableat:
http://www.hpcrresearch.org/sites/default/files/publications/sassoli.pdf (Site was last accessed on 9 October2013).
50
David Kretzmer, The Occupation of Justice: The Supreme Court of Israel and the Occupied Territories, State
University of New York Press, Albany, 2002, p. 63.
51
Despite the heading of Article 64, which refers to ‘penal legislation’, this applies to the entire domestic legal
system. See: Jean S. Pictet, Commentary – The Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian
Persons in Time of War, International Committee of the Red Cross, 1958, p. 337; Marco Sassoli, “Legislationand Maintenance of Public Order and Civil life by Occupying Powers”, The European Journal of InternationalLaw, Vol. 16(4), (2005), 661, pp. 669-670.
52
Pictet, Commentary – The Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War,
Ibid., pp. 275-672.
49

14

principles enshrined by the law of occupation will be elaborated on below, followed by an
examination of some of the Israeli practices in East Jerusalem in light of these principles.
Prohibition on forcible transfer
Article 49 (1) of the Fourth Geneva Convention stipulates that “Individual or mass forcible
transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territoryof the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited,regardless of their motive”.
Forcible transfer entails consequences including the abandonment of one’s home andpossessions and potentially losing one’s rights in the property. Whereas deportation requires
the displacement of persons across a national border, forcible transfer may take place within
national boundaries or the occupied territory.53 The seriousness of this act is emphasized by
the inclusion and categorization of forcible transfer as a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva
Convention.54 The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court qualifies forcible
transfer as a war crime, and additionally, as a crime against humanity when carried out as partof a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population.55
The forcible nature of deportation or eviction is not limited to physical force, but may
encompass threat of force or coercion. The act of deportation or forcible transfer isprohibited, irrespective of the motive and the purpose of such displacement. Even the factthat an eviction or deportation order is issued pursuant to judicial proceedings is irrelevant tothis rule.56
Prohibition on transfer of occupying power’s population into occupied territory
Article 49 (6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention stipulates that the transfer of civilians fromthe occupying power into the territory it occupies is strictly forbidden. It also constitutes agrave breach of the Convention (Article 147 of the Convention).57 This prohibition has been
codified in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as a war crime, which
explicitly states that the transfer is prohibited whether conducted “directly or indirectly” by
the occupying power.58

53

See: Prosecutor v. Radislav Krstic (Trial Judgment), International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY), 2 August 2001, par. 521; Dinstein, The International Law of Belligerent Occupation, supranote 31, pp. 161-162.
54
Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 147 and Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August
1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977,
Article 85(4)(a).
55
In regard to war crimes, see Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, UN Doc A/CONF.183/9(Rome Statute), Article 8(2)(a)(vii) and Article 8(2)(b)(viii). In regard to crime against humanity see Rome
Statute, Article 7(1)(d).
56
Arai-Takahashi, The Law of Occupation, supra note 44, pp. 329-331. With regard to the comprehensive
prohibition on deportation or forcible transfer it should be noted that assigned residence of protected persons
within the occupied territory – a measure which is taken for imperative reasons of security – is permitted byInternational Humanitarian Law (see Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 78(1)).
57This prohibition is not specified as a grave breach in the Convention itself; Article 85(4)(a) of Protocol I
appends it to the list of the grave breaches.
58
Rome Statute, Article 8(2)(b)(viii).

15

Article 49(6) was intended to prevent a practice adopted by certain countries during theSecond World War, who transferred parts of their own population to occupied territory inorder, among other reasons, to colonise those territories.59 It is, therefore, clear how thisprohibition complies with theprinciples of occupation law
mentioned above. Transferring
nationals of the occupying power tothe occupied territory contradicts
totally the supposed temporary
nature of the occupation and theaspiration of occupation law tomaintain the status quo – including ademographic one – in the occupied
territory. In addition, presence ofnationals of the occupying power inthe occupied territory may bring
The settlement of “Har Homa” (Jabal Abu Ghneim) in East
about
confrontations,
possibly Jerusalem.
Photo: JC Tordai, 2010.
violent, with the local population.
Consequently, the occupying power might breach his obligation to maintain public order andcivil life.
Property Rights under Occupation Law
International humanitarian law has long recognized that property rights should be protectedfrom most types of state intervention. However, the protections granted to immovable
property in areas under occupation vary, and are based on the type of use by the occupying
power.
The foundation of this notion is found in Article 46 of the Hague Regulations which lays
down the general obligation of respecting private property in occupied territory. The article
mandates that private property must be respected and “cannot be confiscated”.60 Thus, Article
46 forbids confiscation, namely, the permanent taking of private property with the transfer of
title to it. However, private property is not wholly exempt from interference by the occupying
power. One example is seizure of private property – a temporary possession by the occupying
power of privately owned property for military use only. It is commonly accepted that seizureof immovable private property in occupied territory is permitted under the law ofoccupation.61
In regard to public property, Article 55 of the Hague Regulations states that: “The occupying
State shall be regarded only as administrator and usufructuary of public buildings, real estate,
forests, and agricultural estates belonging to the hostile State, and situated in the occupied
country. It must safeguard the capital of these properties, and administer them in accordance59

Pictet, Commentary – The Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War,supra note 51, pp. 275-672.
60
Hague Regulations, Article 46.
61
See Dinstein, The International Law of Belligerent Occupation, supra note 31, pp. 226-227. The Israeli High
Court of Justice has ruled that Articles 23(g) and 52 of the Hague Regulations do not prevent temporary seizureof land for military needs and upon payment of compensation for the use of the property (see, e.g. HCJ 401/88
Abu Rian v. Commander of the Military Forces in Judea and Samaria, (1988) 42(2) PD 767, p. 770).

16

with the rules of usufruct”.62 Thus, according to Article 55, the occupying power is entitled toadminister the property and reap its fruits; however, it is obliged to preserve the property andensure its continued existence. The occupying power must ensure that the capital of public
property remains unharmed. Under the usufructuary rule, the title and ownership ofimmovable public property do not pass on to the occupying power, which only acquires
possession. The absence of title also means that the occupying power is forbidden to sell it.63
Another example of permitted interference by the occupying power is the expropriation ofprivate land, namely, the transformation of private property into public property for publicuse, subject to adequate compensation granted by the government or the occupying power.64
Article 43 of the Hague Regulations, which obligates the occupying power to preserve andmaintain public order and safety, has been interpreted by many experts to permit the
expropriation of private property when it is carried out using fair procedures and inaccordance with the local laws in force in the occupied territory prior to its occupation. 65 In
addition, in order for expropriation to be legal, it should also be designed to benefit the local
population within the framework of Article 43.66
The Fourth Geneva Convention added some supplemental provisions in regard to property
rights. One of them is Article 53, which provides that “Any destruction by the Occupying
Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons,or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, isprohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military
operations”.67 In addition, Article 147 provides that the “extensive destruction andappropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully andwantonly” constitutes a grave breach of the Convention.
In summary thus far: Based on the principle of inalienability of sovereignty through the useof force, the law of occupation reflects the supposedly temporary nature of occupation andprohibits the occupying power from acquiring sovereignty through annexation or introducing
new laws unnecessary for the preservation of public life and order of protected persons. In
addition, the law of occupation contains a set of specific rules compelling the occupying
power to refrain from committing forcible transfer, making demographic changes in theoccupied territory and harming property rights of protected persons, except in very specificcircumstances.
4.2

The principle of self-determination

The assertion that sovereignty cannot be acquired through military conquest is also supportedby the tenet of self-determination.
The principle of self-determination – i.e. the right of all peoples to freely decide their own
political status and to freely pursue their own cultural, economic, and social development – is62

Hague Regulations, Article 55.
Arai-Takahashi, The Law of Occupation, supra note 44, p. 198.
64
Dinstein, The International Law of Belligerent Occupation, supra note 31, p. 225.
65
Arai-Takahashi, The Law of Occupation, supra note 44, pp. 236-238.
66
See, e.g., HCJ 393/82 Jamait Askhan v. IDF Commander in Judea and Samaria, (1983) 37(4) PD 785, p. 809.
67
In regard to destruction of property, which is not “imperatively demanded by the necessities of war”, see also
the Hague Regulations, Article 23(g).
6317perceived today as one of the fundamental principles of international law and it is widely
recognised as having attained the status of jus cogens.68 The tenet of self-determination is
also enshrined in Articles 1(2), 55 and 56 of the UN charter, the common Article 1(1) of the1966 international covenants of human rights69 and in a number of General Assembly
resolutions.70
The growing weight of the right to self-determination has led to international support for the
lawful struggle for self-determination of people subject to foreign domination – including
occupation.71 The 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which added
additional duties on the occupying power toward the civilian population of the occupied
territory, declares that the Protocol applies to situations where people under a foreign
occupation exercise their right to self-determination. Article 1(4) stipulates that “[t]hesituations referred to in the preceding paragraph include armed conflicts in which peoples arefighting against colonial domination and alien occupation and against racist regimes in theexercise of their right of self-determination, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations
and the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations”.72 Article 1(4)was designed to cover partial or total occupation of a territory which has not yet been fully
formed as a state73 or lacking clear international status.74
A core principle underlying the right to self-determination is that sovereignty lies in thepeople of the territory and not in its governing force.75 Therefore, in cases of occupation, no
valid title can be transferred to the occupying power in disregard of the will of the population
residing in the territory.76

68

Arai-Takahashi, The Law of Occupation, supra note 44, pp. 65-66. The doctrine of jus cogens asserts theexistence of fundamental legal norms from which no derogation is permitted.
69
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, G.A. res. 2200A (XXI), 21 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 16)
at 52, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171, entered into force 23 March 1976; International Covenant
on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, G.A. res. 2200A (XXI), 21 UN GAOR Supp. (No. 16) at 49, UN
Doc. A/6316 (1966), 993 U.N.T.S. 3, entered into force 3 January 1976. Regarding the application ofinternational human rights law to the occupied Palestinian territory see ICJ, Legal Consequences of theConstruction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, supra note 41, pars. 102-113.
70
See, e.g., Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, G.A. Res. 1514,
U.N. GAOR, 15th Sess., Supp. No. 16, at 66, U.N. Doc. A/4684 (14 December 1960); Declaration on Principles
of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation Among States in Accordance with theCharter of the United Nations, G.A. Res. 2625, U.N. GAOR, 25th Sess., Supp. No. 28, at 121, U.N. Doc.
A/8028 (1970).
71
Ben-Naftali, Gross and Michaeli, “Illegal Occupation”, supra note 44, pp. 565-566.
72
Protocol I, Article 1(4). It should be mentioned that, contrary to the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel is not a
party to the First Additional Protocol.
73
Claude Pilloud, Yves Sandoz, Christophe Swinarski, Bruno Zimmermann et al., Commentary on the
Additional Protocols of 8 June 1977 to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, International Committee of
the Red Cross, 1987, Geneva, p. 54.
74
Ben-Naftali, Gross and Michaeli, “Illegal Occupation”, supra note 44, p. 566.
75
Ardi Imseis, “On the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, Harvard
International Law Journal, Vol. 44(1) (2003) 65, p. 97.
76
Ben-Naftali, Gross and Michaeli, “Illegal Occupation”, supra note 44, p. 574, and other sources mentioned
there.

18

4.3

Relevancy to East Jerusalem

It stems from the above analysis that the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem is completely
contrary to the most fundamental principles of international law. Thus, whether or not the
Israeli occupation of the West Bank, as argued by Israel, was initially an act of self defence,
the occupation should not lead to any transfer or change in sovereignty.77 As elaborated
above, since 1967 Israel has taken several legislative steps which consolidated East Jerusalem
to the rest of Israel and annexed this territory. In addition, contrary to international law, Israel
has continuously settled much of its Israeli Jewish population in East Jerusalem and thus
completely changed the demographic status quo in the territory.78
In order to facilitate its actions in the occupied territory, Israel has used a variety of legal
tools. Applying Israeli domestic law to East Jerusalem has enabled Israel to enforce its land
laws on the annexed territories, including those passed after the 1967 War. This legislation
includes, inter alia:
1. Land expropriation: Israeli domestic legislation that facilitates the transfer ofprivately-owned land to the state for the use of the public as a whole79 has been used
to facilitate the expropriation of large areas of Palestinian lands in East Jerusalem andbuild settlements on them, which are essentially for the use of the Israeli Jewish
population.80
2. Absentee property legislation: Israeli domestic legislation to transfer Palestinian
property considered to be ‘absentee’ to the State of Israel, which was enacted in theearly days of the State,81 has been used to confiscate lands in East Jerusalem
belonging to Palestinians residing outside of Jerusalem, in the areas of the West Bank
that were not annexed to Israel or in other Arab countries. Much of this land has thenbeen handed over to Jewish settler groups.82
3. Property owned by Jews prior to 1948: In 1970, the Knesset passed the Law andAdministration Procedures Law (the 1970 Law), which pertains, inter alia, toproperty in East Jerusalem that was owned by Israelis (in practice, only Jewish
Israelis) prior to the 1948 War and transferred to the Jordanian Custodian of Enemy
Property between 1948 and 1967.83 During the Jordanian rule over the West Bank
(including East Jerusalem) Palestinians – some of them refugees – settled in these
empty houses in East Jerusalem. Following the 1967 War, control over theseproperties was transferred to the Israeli Custodian General. The 1970 Law requires
the Custodian General to release these properties to their pre-1948 owners or the77

On the different narratives on this regard, see, e.g., Yehuda Z. Blum, “East Jerusalem is not ‘Occupied
Territory’”, Hapraklit, Vol. 28(2), October 1971, 183; Henry Cattan, “the Status of Jerusalem Under
International Law and United Nations Resolutions”, Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 10(3), (Spring, 1981), 3,
p. 12.
78
See e.g., B’Tselem, A Policy of Discrimination, supra note 15; UNOCHA, East Jerusalem: Key
Humanitarian Concerns, March 2011, pp. 49-64.
79
Land Ordinance (Acquisition for Public Purposes) of 1943, Official Gazette, 1305, from 10 December 1943.
80
B’Tselem, A Policy of Discrimination, supra note 15.
81
The Absentee Property Law, 5710-1950, Laws of the State of Israel No. 37, 20 March 1950, p. 85.
82
In this regard, see, NRC, The Absentee Property Law and Its Implementation in East Jerusalem, supra note
39.
83
The Law and Administration Procedures Law [Consolidated Version], 5730-1970, Laws of the State of Israel
No. 603, 13 August 1970, p. 138.

19

owners’ heirs. In contrast, Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem who, prior to 1948,
owned property in West Jerusalem or elsewhere in what is now considered Israel,
west of the Green Line, cannot reclaim their property because it has been transferredto the Custodian of Absentee Property. Thus, Jewish Israelis who owned property
prior to 1948 in East Jerusalem (or have inherited such property) are able to claim thisproperty and, if successful, return to their houses; Palestinians, on the other hand, do
not enjoy the same benefit.84
Using the 1970 Law has enabled Israeli settlers to take over properties that were
owned by Jews before 1948 thus facilitating the expansion of settlements within
existing Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem. In several cases, Palestinians
residing in these properties were forcibly transferred by the Israeli authorities while
settlers occupied the houses.85
4. Planning and building: Over the years, Israeli authorities have adopted planningpolicies that have severely constrained the development of Palestinian areas in East
Jerusalem leading to a severe housing shortage.86 This, in addition to the proceduresthat have been put into force by the Jerusalem Municipality, makes it almost
impossible for Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem to obtain a building permit.87
Consequently, very few new licensing files have been opened for East Jerusalem andvery few building permits are issued for Palestinian residents in the area. 88 Despite all
this, Israeli authorities have enforced harsh administrative and punitive sanctions, as
specified in the Israeli Planning and Building Law,89 including house demolitions,heavy fines and, in many cases, criminal proceedings against Palestinians who havebuilt ‘illegally’.90
By continuing with the actions described above, Israel has breached its obligations not toalter the original legislation in the occupied territory unless the changes are necessary for thepreservation of public life and order and for the benefit of protected persons. In addition, thelegislation introduced by the Israeli authorities raises great concerns in relation to its
compatibility with international law standards. As this legislation arguably facilitates, interalia, transfer of Israeli population to the annexed territory, forcible transfer of protected
persons, confiscation and demolition of property in contradiction with the law of occupation,
it would be fair to say that it was not merely the annexation itself that was problematic interms ofbasic international law norms. Examining the Israeli legislation and its related
practices demonstrates a modus operandi of systematic disrespect for other provisions ofinternational humanitarian law, pertaining specifically to obligations toward protected84

For further discussion of the 1970 Law and its legality, from international law perspective, see NRC, The
Absentee Property Law and Its Implementation in East Jerusalem, supra note 39, pp. 39-46.
85
Yitzhak Reiter and Lior Lehrs, “The Sheikh Jarrah Affair: The Strategic Implications of Jewish Settlement in
an Arab Neighborhood in East Jerusalem”, The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 2010; The Civic Coalition
for Defending Palestinians' Rights in Jerusalem, Dispossession & eviction in Jerusalem: The cases and storiesof Sheikh Jarrah, December 2009.
86
Bimkom and Ir Shalem, The Planning Deadlock, supra note 16, pp. 9-51.
87
Ibid., pp. 9-66; OCHA, The Planning Crisis in East Jerusalem: Understanding the Phenomenon of “Illegal”
Construction, April 2009, pp. 7-14.
88
See Bimkom’s data on building permits in East Jerusalem, available at: http://www.bimkom.org (Site was lastaccessed on 9 October 2013) [Hebrew].
89
Planning and Building Law, 5725-1965, Laws of the State of Israel No. 467, 12 August 1965, p. 307.
90
In this regard, see Bimkom and Ir Shalem, The Planning Deadlock, supra note 16.

20persons. These provisions should have been respected regardless of the question of theillegality of the annexation.

House of Palestinian family in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, that was transferred tothe hands of settlers using the 1970 Law. Photo: JC Tordai, 2010.

4.4

The Stance of the International Community

Consistent with the analysis above, it is not surprising that both the Security Council and theGeneral Assembly have strongly condemned throughout the years Israel’s unilateralannexation of East Jerusalem and the legal validity of the normative steps that Israel has
adopted to apply its sovereignty over East Jerusalem. In a long series of pointed decisions,these international institutions have repeatedly stressed that the practical and normative steps
adopted by Israel in its annexation of East Jerusalem are in contravention to the rules ofinternational law. In Resolution 252 (1968) the Security Council declared that “all legislative
and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, which tend tochange the legal status of Jerusalem are invalid and cannot change that status”. 91 In
Resolution 478 (1980), the Council criticised “in the strongest terms” the enactment of the
Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel, and determined that any measures seeking to alter
the status of Jerusalem are “null and void”.92
This position of the UN bodies is one shared by all the world’s states, with the exception of
Israel. None of the states that conduct diplomatic relations with Israel on the ambassadorial
level recognise the annexation, which is evidenced by them housing their embassies in Tel

91

S.C. Res. 252, supra note 25.
S.C. Res. 478, supra note 25. For more resolutions by UN bodies with regards to steps adopted by Israel in its
annexation of East Jerusalem see, inter alia, S.C.Res.267, U.N. SCOR, 24th Sess., U.N. Doc. S/INF/24/Rev. 1(1969); S.C. Res. 298, U.N. SCOR, 34th Sess., U.N. Doc. S/10338/Rev.I (1971); G.A. Res. 35/169E, U.N.
GAOR, 35th Sess., U.N. Doc. A/35/L.42/Rev.1 (1980); G.A. Res. 41/162C, U.N. GAOR, 41st Sess., U.N. Doc.
A/41/L.45, addendum pt. 1 (1986); G.A. Res. 49/36B, U.N. GAOR, 49th Sess., U.N. Doc. A/49/49 (1995); G.A.
Res. ES-10, U.N. GAOR, 10th Emer. Sess., U.N. Doc. A/ES-10/L.5/Rev.I (1999).
92

21

Aviv instead of Jerusalem.93 In addition, western countries considered friendly to Israel –such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, theNetherlands, Canada and Japan – have all expressed their refusal to acknowledge the legalityof Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem.94
Thus, the UN as a whole, as well as its individual member states, has expressly withheld
recognition of the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem.
The stance, according to which the unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel is not
valid under international law, was affirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its
2004 Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory.95 It is important to note that the ICJ did not inquire
specifically into the question of the legal status of East Jerusalem but rather addressed thequestion of the legality of the construction of the Wall and its consequences. However, inorder to address these questions, the ICJ had to determine the legal status of the West Bank,
including East Jerusalem.
In paragraph 75 of its opinion, the ICJ mentioned some of the measures that Israel has taken
in order to change the status of East Jerusalem and cited Security Council resolutions
condemning these measures. The ICJ mentioned, in particular, Resolution 478 (1980), statingthat the enactment of the Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel constituted a violation ofinternational law. The ICJ then held: “The territories situated between the Green Line…andthe former eastern boundary of Palestine under the Mandate were occupied by Israel in 1967
during the armed conflict between Israel and Jordan. Under customary international law,these were therefore occupied territories in which Israel had the status of occupying Power.
Subsequent events in these territories… have done nothing to alter this situation. All these
territories (including East Jerusalem) remain occupied territories and Israel has continued tohave the status of occupying Power”.96
It should be noted that although ICJ advisory opinions are not binding on the requestingorgan or the involved states, they are considered as authoritative statements of the law, andpast experience shows that they have considerable impact on the evolution of international
law.97 Bearing in mind the prestigious status of the ICJ, the proposition that the measurestaken by Israel have not altered Israel's status as an occupying power in East Jerusalem has
obtained a substantial affirmation in the aforementioned advisory opinion.98
4.5

The conflict between Israeli and International Law

It stems from the arguments above that the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem isincompatible with the provisions of international law. This conflict was addressed by the93

In 2006, the embassies of Costa Rica and El Salvador, the last embassies to be housed in Jerusalem, weremoved to Tel Aviv.
94
Cassese, “Legal Considerations on the International Status of Jerusalem”, supra note 1, pp. 29-30.
95
ICJ, Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, supra note 41.
96
Ibid., par. 78.
97
Moshe Hirsch, “The Legal Status of Jerusalem Following the ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Separation
Barrier”, Israel Law Review, Vol. 38, 298, 2005, p. 306; Malcolm N. Shaw, International Law, 5th ed.
(Cambridge, 2003), pp. 1003-1004.
98
Dinstein, The International Law of Belligerent Occupation, supra note 31, p. 19.

22

Israeli High Court of Justice in the Rabah case. The petitioners in this case claimed that the
Israeli Court of Local Affairs in Jerusalem did not have jurisdiction over issues of alleged
illegal building of Palestinian permanent residents in Jerusalem since the application of
Israeli legislation to East Jerusalem was illegal. The High Court of Justice rejected thepetition, stipulating that even if the Knesset enactment on the subject was incompatible withinternational law – and the High Court of Justice refrained from asserting this – the court (inthat case – the Jerusalem Court of Local Affairs) must abide by domestic legislation.99***
As explained above, the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem and the application of Israeli
law to the annexed territory are illegal. This assertion is well anchored in international
humanitarian law, as well as the fundamental notion that sovereignty lies with the people ofterritory and not in its governing force. It is also a logical conclusion derived from the generalprohibition on the use of force. In light of this, the international community’s response to theIsraeli annexation, in its staunch refusal to recognise the annexation, was an obvious andinevitable outcome.
However, Israeli violations of international humanitarian law have not stopped with the act of
the annexation. Over the years Israel has adopted a policy aiming to strengthen its grasp of
East Jerusalem by facilitating Israeli settlements in the annexed territory, limiting Palestinian
expansion and even implementing displacement-causing practices. Thus, Israel has used
several tools, made possible by illegally-applied Israeli law, to expropriate Palestinian land
for the purpose of building settlements, to takeover of Palestinian private property and toseverely limit Palestinian planning and building. As mentioned above, all of these practices
are extremely problematic in terms of international humanitarian law.
However, displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem is not always derived by practices
related to housing, land and property. Rather, it is sometimes a direct outcome of the uniqueand very problematic civil status granted by Israel to the Palestinians of East Jerusalem. This
will be dealt with below.

99

HCJ 256/01 Rabah v. Jerusalem Court of Local Affairs (2002) 56(2) PD 930, 934-935. On the position of theIsraeli High Court of Justice regarding the superiority of the Israeli domestic law in cases of clear collision
between the Israeli and international law see also, e.g. HCJ 2690/09 Yesh Din v. Commander of the IDF in theWest Bank (published in “Nevo”, 28 March 2010), par. 6.

23

5.

The Civil Status of East Jerusalem’s Palestinian Residents

5.1

Israeli Law

Immediately after the 1967 War, Israel conducted a census in the areas annexed into
Jerusalem. Palestinians who were physically there at the time were registered in the Israeli
population registry and were granted Israeli identity cards, but not Israeli citizenship. In 1988,
in the case of Mubarak Awad v. Prime Minister of Israel, the Israeli High Court of Justiceruled that the status that was given in 1967 to these Palestinians was defined as ‘permanent
residency’.100 Although the formal system of rights given by Israel to permanent residents isquite similar to that of citizens,101 there is still a significant difference between the two under
Israeli domestic law. Thus, for example, a permanent resident may vote in local elections, but
is not entitled to vote in the Knesset elections. Also, under the Passports Law of 1952, apermanent resident is entitled to a laissez passer, but not to an Israeli passport. A permanent
resident who settles in another country loses permanent residency status in Israel. A citizen,
on the other hand, retains citizenship.102
In the Awad case it was held that the law that governs the status of Palestinian residents ofEast Jerusalem is the Entry into Israel Law of 1952.103 This assertion is very problematic andlikens Palestinian Jerusalemites to immigrants entering Israel. The application of identicalrules with regard to the expiry of residency to immigrants, who voluntarily acquired theirstatus, and to East Jerusalem residents, who did not move to another country but rather
continued to reside where they were but had a new status was imposed on them, unlawfully
ignores the special situation of East Jerusalem residents. It forces upon East Jerusalem
residents a type of legal cage, from which it is mostly prohibited to leave, in order to ensurethat their residency status will not be lost. As will be explained below, this policy also
contradicts provisions of international law.
It should also be noted that permanent residents are permitted, if they desire and meet certain
conditions, to receive Israeli citizenship. These conditions include swearing allegiance to theState of Israel, proving they are not citizens of any other country, and demonstrating someknowledge of the Hebrew language. Most of the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem did
100

HCJ 282/88 Mubarak Awad v. Prime Minister of Israel, (1988) 42(2) PD 424.
Resident permits that are given to Palestinian residents have formalised (at least by law) their eligibility towork in Israel, to receive medical insurance and socio-economic benefits. They have granted these residents
identifying documents (The Population Registry Law, 5725-1965, Laws of the State of Israel No. 466, 1 August
1965, p. 270, Article 24) and social rights (National Insurance pensions are paid according to the National
Insurance Law [amended version], 5755-1995, Laws of the State of Israel No. 1522, 15 May 1995, p. 210 tosomeone who is a resident of Israel. The State Health Insurance Law, 5754-1994, Laws of the State of Israel No.
1469, 26 June 1994, p. 146 applies to anyone who is regarded a resident of Israel in accordance with the
National Insurance Law).
102
According to Article 11(C) and Article 11A of the Entry into Israel Regulations, 5734-1974, Israeli
Collection of Regulations No. 3201, 18 July 1974, p. 1517 a permanent resident will be considered to havesettled abroad if he or she 1) lived for more than seven years in a foreign country; 2) received the status of
permanent resident in a foreign country; or 3) became a citizen of a foreign country. It is important to note thatas far as Palestinian residency rights are concerned, Israel considers the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to be a“foreign country”.
103
Entry into Israel Law, 5712-1952, Laws of the State of Israel No. 111, 5 September 1952, p. 354. See the
Awad case, supra note 100.
101

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not request Israeli citizenship.104 As protected persons under international humanitarian law(see below) the State of Israel cannot force citizenship upon them, and cannot compel them tonaturalise and to swear loyalty to it.
The attitude that views Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem as aliens, as reflected in theapplication of the Entry into Israel Law to them, marks these residents as unwanted in theirown city. From the mid-nineties, this attitude was formalised in a broad Israeli policy of
revocation of residency, which became known as the “quiet deportation”.105 The revocationof residency status was based on the “centre of life” policy, according to which status may be
revoked if the Minister of Interior determines that the individual's “centre of life” has moved“outside of Israel”. This policy was often implemented retroactively, irrespective of thepresent residency situation of the individual in question. Thus, a current “centre of life” inJerusalem did not grant rights if for any period of time in the past the “centre of life” wasconsidered (by Israel) to be elsewhere.106
Despite a temporary relaxation in the implementation of this policy at the beginning of the
2000s, data received from the Ministry of the Interior for the years of 2006 and 2008 showsthat this policy has never stopped. On the contrary, it returned in much larger scale. In 2008,
the Israeli Ministry of Interior revoked the residency of 4,577 residents of East Jerusalem,
including the residency of 99 children. The year 2006 saw a similar explosion in the numberof revocations, with the number standing at 1,363 persons. Thus, half of the revocations from1967 through 2008 occurred between 2006 and 2008 alone. The sharp rise in revocation ofresidency status was explained by the Israeli Ministry of Interior as an illustration of
improvement in work procedures and proper monitoring by the Ministry. Rather thanenhancing the level of service provided for the welfare of the residents, this “improvement inwork procedures” appears designed to trap Palestinians, thus condemning them to the State’s
policy of revocation of residency.107
5.2

An International Law Perspective

As was previously discussed, under international law, East Jerusalem is an occupied territory.
Consequently, Israel's actions regarding this territory should be scrutinized first and foremost
according to the principles of international humanitarian law that deals specifically with timesof armed conflict, including a situation of occupation.

104

Notwithstanding a relatively steady rise in the number of East Jerusalem Palestinians who were naturalized in
the past decade, according to some sources, until 2012 only approximately 10,000 Palestinian residents of East
Jerusalem requested and received Israeli citizens. See: Nir Hasson, “3,374 East Jerusalem residents received fullIsraeli citizenship in past decade”, Haaretz, 21 October 2012; Moshe Amirav, The Jerusalem Syndrome –Israel's Unification Policy Delusions, 1967-2007, Jerusalem, 2007. p. 260.
105
B'Tselem and HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, The Quiet Deportation: Revocation of
Residency of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, April 1997; B'Tselem and HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the
Individual, The Quiet Deportation Continues: Revocation of Residency and Denial of Social Rights of East
Jerusalem Residents, September 1998.
106
B'Tselem and HaMoked, The Quiet Deportation, Ibid., p. 22; Ardi Imseis, “Facts on the Ground: An
Examination of Israeli Municipal Policy in East Jerusalem”, American University International Law Review
Vol. 15(5), 2000, 1039, pp. 1061-1062.
107
HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, Written Submission for Consideration Regarding
Israel's Third Periodic Report to the UN Human Rights Committee, July 2010, pp. 3, 7-8; Nir Hasson, “Israel
stripped thousands of Jerusalem Arabs of residency in 2008”, Haaretz, 2 December 2009.

25

Article 47 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which was mentioned above, relates to thesituation of those citizens – now protected persons – who, as a result of conflict, findthemselves under the rule of a foreign power. The Article stipulates that these protected
persons “who are in occupied territory shall not be deprived, in any case or in any mannerwhatsoever, of the benefits of the present Convention by any change introduced, as the resultof the occupation of a territory”, including the annexation of the whole or part of theoccupied territory. Since, from a pragmatic perspective, it is clear that any country annexing
territory may claim the legality of the annexation, the drafters of the Convention ensured thateven if such a claim is made, it shall not be sufficient to deprive the protected persons of theirrights as defined by international humanitarian law.108 Also, according to Regulation 43 of
the Hague Regulations the occupying power is obliged to preserve public life and order,“while respecting, unless absolutely prevented, the laws in force in the country”.109 Anothersignificant provision with this regard is Article 49(1) of the Fourth Geneva Convention,
which was mentioned above, that prohibits the occupying power from carrying out any typeof forcible transfer of the protected persons.
The aforementioned provisions jointly illustrate the occupying power’s obligations to respect
the laws in force in the occupying territory, whilst refraining from introducing any new
legislation destined to deprive the protected persons of their rights as defined by international
humanitarian law. The status of the protected persons cannot be governed by the nationality
legislation of the occupier, in particular where applying this legislation to the protected
persons results in their forcible transfer and displacement.
As explained above, the status of Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, despite the title of“permanent residents”, does not grant the right to reside permanently in the city. The position
adopted in the Awad case – that East Jerusalem residents are like other residents of Israel (asopposed to citizens), whose residency expires upon the relocation of the centre of one’s life –has led to a policy of massive revocations of East Jerusalem residence permits, as presented
above. The ramification for revoking that status is a deprivation of a right of Palestinians tocontinue to live in their homes and the risk of being forcibly deported. It deprives them of
freedom of movement within the occupied West Bank, which includes East Jerusalem. This
policy is, therefore, contradictory to the provisions of Article 49. By applying its immigration
legislation on the Palestinians of East Jerusalem, Israel has effectively deprived them of theirstatus of protected persons.110 The extension of the domestic Israeli legislation – in thisregard as in other legal areas – cannot comply with Israel's obligations to refrain fromintroducing any new legislation which is contrary to the best interests of the local
population.111
Following the 1967 War, Israel did not grant the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem
Israeli citizenship. However, they do have the opportunity to apply to become naturalised
citizens of Israel. Though the majority of these Palestinians satisfy the conditions of
naturalisation, as set out in the Israeli Citizenship Law,112 most Palestinian Jerusalemites
justifiably consider themselves as residents of occupied territory, whose status in Israel has
been forced upon them. In addition, such actions are contrary to international law, including108

See Pictet, Commentary – The Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time ofWar, supra note 51, pp. 275-276.
109
Article 43 of the Hague Regulations.
110
See Quigley, “Jerusalem: The Illegality of Israel's Encroachment”, supra note 24, p. 34.
111
See, in this regard, supra text accompanying notes 48-51.
112
See the Citizenship Law, 5712-1952, Laws of the State of Israel No. 95, 8 April 1952, p. 146, Article 5.

26

deprivation of the benefits of being protected persons and the right to self-determination.
Consequently, the vast majority of them did not apply to become citizens of Israel. 113
One of the requirements in the naturalisation procedure is swearing allegiance to the State ofIsrael. Thus, Israel has offered the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem the opportunity tobetter their situation and ensure their right to live in the city, but conditioned it by applying
for Israeli citizenship – a procedure that requires swearing allegiance to the State of Israel,
which, under international law, is the occupying power of East Jerusalem. In this regard it isworth mentioning another international humanitarian law tenet, which is enshrined in Article
45 of the Hague Regulations. This article stipulates that “it is forbidden to compel residents
of occupied territory to swear allegiance to the hostile power”. Conditioning fundamental
rights – such as the right not to be transferred or deported from the occupied territory – onswearing loyalty to the occupying power, therefore contravenes the provisions of the
Article.114
According to international law, East Jerusalem residents should be entitled, like any otherperson, to leave their home and to return to it, without thereby being at risk that their travels
abroad or their departure to other areas of Palestine, and even their acquisition of status inanother country, will lead to the deprivation of their rights to return to their homeland. The
right of persons to leave and return to their country is secured in international human rights
law.
Article 13(2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) states: “Everyone has theright to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country”.115 Article 12(4) of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) (ICCPR), which was ratified
by the State of Israel in 1991, continues and states the following: “No one shall be arbitrarily
deprived of the right to enter his own country”.116 It should be noted, in this regard, that theUnited Nations Human Rights Committee, the body charged with monitoring theimplementation of the ICCPR, held that the right to return to one’s country as per Article
12(4) of the Covenant is not available exclusively to those who are citizens of that country. It
most certainly also applies, so the Committee held, to those who, because of their special ties
to that country, cannot be considered a mere “alien”. As an example, the Committee points
out that this right shall also be available to residents of territories whose rule has beentransferred to a foreign country of which they are not citizens.117
The revocation of the residency status is problematic from another aspect. Many Palestinians
who change their “centre of life” to places outside of Jerusalem, thus putting their residency
status in danger, do so as a result of the Israeli polices, described in this document, that place
before them extreme hurdles to remain in the city. Yet, and although some of these
Palestinians reside out of the country for prolonged periods of time, their constant and113

See supra note 104.
In this regard, see also: Quigley, “Jerusalem: The Illegality of Israel's Encroachment”, supra note 24, p. 34.
115
Article 13 (2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, G.A. res. 217A (III), U.N. Doc A/810 at 71(1948), Adopted on Dec. 10, 1948.
116
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 12(4). This principle is enshrined in otherhuman rights conventions. See: Article 10(2) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, G.A. res. 44/25,
annex, 44 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 167, U.N. Doc. A/44/49 (1989), entered into force 2 September 1990;
Article 5(d)(ii) of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, G.A.
res. 2106 (XX), Annex, 20 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 14) at 47, U.N. Doc A/6014 (1966), 660 U.N.T.S. 195,
entered into force 4 January 1969.
117
The Human Rights Committee's General Comment 27, CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.9 (1999), par. 20.
114

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inherent connection to their hometown is undiminished. The Israeli practice of residency
revocation ignores this aspect of life, which is a feature of modern life in the global village.118
This policy unwillingly binds them, physically and mentally, to a place from which it isprohibited to leave, in order to ensure that their residency status will not be lost.
5.3

The Stance of the Israeli Courts

The position of the Israeli High Court, with regard to the Palestinians living in the occupied
Palestinian territories that were not annexed to Israel, is that they have the status of protected
persons according to the international humanitarian law, and are therefore entitled toprotections that international law grants protected persons.119
However, the approach towards the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem was entirely
different. As a result of the Knesset's legislation that applied the “law, jurisdiction andadministration of the State” to East Jerusalem, the Israeli courts have always dealt withquestions regarding the legal status of East Jerusalem residents (i.e., in cases of revocation of
their residency) through the eyes of Israeli law. The Israeli courts have never examined thequestion of whether or not East Jerusalem residents enjoy the protection given to them byinternational humanitarian law, nor the application to them of the principles of international
human rights law.120
In fact, when dismissing petitions that challenged decisions made by the Ministry of Interior
to revoke the residency status of individual Palestinians the Supreme Court has based its
assertions, above other things, on the fact that these Palestinians refrained from applying for
Israeli citizenship. As a result, according to the courts, they were left with the status of“permanent residents”, which may be revoked under certain circumstances.121 The revocationof residency status in such cases has been approved by the Supreme Court despite theinternational humanitarian law implication of such move – a deportation from an occupied
territory. This has been done by the Court without scrutiny of the legality of the applicationof the Israeli law to East Jerusalem and without any discussion as to whether or notinternational law should be taken into consideration. The failure of the court to take into
account customary international law principles in its decision making severely undermines
the credibility of the court’s approach on this fundamental issue.

118

In this regard, see also Application to Join as Amicus Curiae in the Siag case, supra note 120, pars. 133-139.
See, e.g., HCJ 1661/05 District Council of the Gaza Beach et al. v. Prime Minister - Ariel Sharon et al.,(2005) 59(2) PD 481, 514-515; HCJ 606/78 Ayoub v. Minister of Defense, (1979) 33(2) PD 113, 119-120; HCJ
785/87 Afu v. Commander of the IDF Forces, (1988) 42(2) PD 4, 77-78.
120
Several motions have been submitted to the Israeli courts in recent years challenging the policy of revocationof residency status of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, and based, among other things, on international
humanitarian law and international human rights law. See, e.g., Adm. Appeal 2392/08 Siag v. Minister of theInterior, Application to Join as Amicus Curiae, filed on 20 November 2008; HCJ 2797/11 Qarae'en et al. v.
Minister of the Interior, filed on 7 April 2011. For different reasons, all these cases have not concluded in a
verdict addressing the policy of residency revocation.
121
See the Awad case, supra note 100, p. 430; HCJ 7952/96 Bustani v. Minister of Interior, (published in“Nevo”, 31 December 1996), par. 7; Adm. Appeal 5829/05 Dari v. Ministry of Interior, (published in “Nevo”,
20 September 2007), par. 10.
119

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6.

Conclusions

In the wake of the 1967 War, Israel applied its “law, jurisdiction and administration” to asignificant part of the West Bank, which is known as “East Jerusalem”. Israel has mostly
refrained from describing these acts as “annexation” or declaring that this legislation
constitutes an act of acquisition of sovereignty. Yet, with the passage of time, additional
pieces of legislation, introduced by Israel, in addition to extensive Israeli measures on the
ground, in particular the expansion of the settlements, have left little doubt about Israel’s
intentions. The de facto annexation has grown stronger and deepened.
These steps have been broadly condemned by the international community – that considers
East Jerusalem an occupied territory – and have been declared contradictory to international
humanitarian law by many bodies, including the UN General Assembly, the Security Council
and the International Court of Justice.
The annexation of East Jerusalem as an outcome of the 1967 War is not only illegal per se. It
has also resulted in other measures taken by the Israeli authorities since 1967 which are very
problematic in terms of international law. Whereas various practices adopted by Israel were
designed to secure and maintain Israeli control over occupied East Jerusalem and impose
Jewish demographic dominance by forcefully displacing Palestinians from their homes, it isprimarily the policy of revocation of residency status that effectively prevents Palestinians,
whose status has been revoked, to return to their homeland.
The revocation of residency policy is not only contrary to international humanitarian law andthe basic tenet that everyone has the right to leave and return to his own country; it also
conflicts with the reality of modern life and current patterns of human movement.
The net effect of the decision to annex East Jerusalem to Israel in violation of internationallaw is to trap Palestinians in a legal cage; a cage that is in fact shrinking as settlements
expand, Palestinian property is confiscated under different legislation, such as the Absentee
Property Law, and restrictions on the right to build and develop for Palestinians become
increasingly severe. Flight from the cage involves the permanent loss of home. The situation
presents an intolerable dilemma for many Palestinians. The effective application ofinternational law would, however, provide a key to the cage; a key to the realisation of therights to property ownership, the right to security of tenure, the right to development and theright to leave and return to one’s own country.

29