Jerusalem

Jerusalem is an ancient city and capital of the State of Israel, located in the center of the country. The Palestinian Authority also lays claim to Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.

Jerusalem is considered a holy city by major religions, chiefly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jerusalem is a host to many religious sites, especially within the walls of the old city. The Temple Mount is remains of the Jewish temples, and the holiest site in Judaism. Jews often pray at the Western Wall, or Kotel, a retaining wall for the Temple Mount built by Herod the Great. On the temple mount now sit the al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques, the former being the 3rd holiest site in Islam. Several chirstian sites, such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, are important to many sects of Christianity.

As it is the political capital of Israel, Jerusalem is home to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. There are also ministries that have their headquarters in Jerusalem, such as the Foreign Ministry. The status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is not recognized by all international actors. However, embassies of states such as the US reside in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built on several hills, and has a cooler climate than many other major cities. One of its aesthetic features is that buildings are made with Jerusalem stone, a pale white-yellow limestone.

Jerusalem has been the center of Jewish life since Davidic times. In its history, it has been conquered and destroyed dozens of times by invading armies and empires. However, there has always been a Jewish presence in Jerusalem. In late 1800 Ottoman censuses, Jews were a majority of the population of Jerusalem. However, Jerusalem was set to be an international city in initial partition plans in the late 1940s. Following the Israeli War of Independence, Jerusalem was split between east and west, with the east side being in the possession of Jordan. In 1967, Israel retook east Jerusalem, and the bulk of Jewish holy sites. In 1980, the Knesset passed the “Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel” which establishes a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and under complete Israeli sovereignty.

Israeli think tank urges tougher measures against Turkish consulate, limiting diplomatic presence

Among the recommendations are revoking diplomatic benefits, canceling work visas, restricting freedom of movement in Israel, and removing immunity from diplomatic vehicles.

JULY 14, 2026|ByANNA BARSKY

View of the Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv on August 26, 2021.

Elisha Wiesel, Elie Wiesel's son, keeps his father's leagcy and memory alive

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JULY 14, 2026|ByJERUSALEM POST PODCASTS

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clash with police during a protest against construction work on the Jerusalem Light Rail in the Bar-Ilan area of Jerusalem, June 8, 2026.

Protesters block Jerusalem roads, target light rail construction site

Police used crowd dispersal measures after protesters blocked roads near Jerusalem’s Bar Ilan Street and refused orders to leave.

JULY 14, 2026|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

The colors of each sinkhole come from minerals, salt, clay, and water.

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'A living landscape': Photographing the Dead Sea, Judean Desert, and Jerusalem

From Jerusalem’s ancient streets to the shifting shores of the Dead Sea, one Israeli photographer documents a land that refuses to stand still

JULY 13, 2026|BySHIMON PERLSTEIN

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States do not recognize genocides because they have suddenly discovered a moral conscience. They do so when it aligns with their political, strategic, diplomatic, or domestic interests.

JULY 7, 2026ByBEDROSS DER MATOSSIAN

Members of the Armenian diaspora rally in front of the Turkish Embassy after U.S. President Joe Biden recognized that the 1915 massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire constituted genocide in Washington, U.S., April 24, 2021.

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The 1994 peace treaty signed by Amman and Jerusalem required Israel to supply Jordan with 50 million cubic meters of water annually, an amount doubled in a 2021 commitment that expired in 2025.

JULY 7, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Water discharging from a desalination plant into the Zalmon River and into the Sea of Galilee, March 4, 2026.

Annual Maccabiah Night Run to see roads closed to traffic, Jerusalem Municipality announces

The roads will be closed beginning at 5:00 p.m., and will remain closed until around 11:00 p.m. when the event is set to end.

JULY 7, 2026ByTZVI JASPER

Israeli participants at the 2026 Maccabiah games, Jerusalem, July 1, 2026.

WATCH: Haredi protesters block entrance to IDF's Central Command HQ in Jerusalem

The haredim, who were protesting against mandatory conscription for ultra-Orthodox men, were seen blocking part of the gate, screaming at soldiers, and not letting them through.

JULY 7, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters demonstrate against the arrest of ultra orthodox jewish men who took part in a protest outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg and were later handed over to the military police, outside the Abu Kabir detention facility, June 10, 2026. Ilustrative.

Police remove haredi protesters attempting to block Jerusalem light rail construction

Members of Jerusalem's haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community have for weeks attempted to block construction of the light rail on Bar Ilan Street.

JULY 6, 2026ByEFRAT FORSHER

Ultra orthoodx jewish men block a road during a protest against the jailing of yeshiva students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order, in Jerusalem, July 1, 2026; Illustrative.

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After Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the people of Israel 'a burden that humanity can no longer bear,' Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar cites Holocaust history.

JULY 6, 2026ByRUBY SADIKMAN

Gideon Sa'ar and Olivier Nduhungirehe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on July 6.

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People from more than 40 countries flew thousands of miles across continents to be in Israel, at a time when this can’t be taken for granted.

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Haredi protesters break into Jerusalem Light Rail construction sites, assault workers

In one video seen by The Jerusalem Post, haredi protesters try to push through the fence and get into a physical altercation with construction workers.

JULY 5, 2026ByCORINNE BAUM

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters set fire to construction materials during a protest against construction work on the Jerusalem Light Rail in the Bar-Ilan area of Jerusalem, June 8, 2026.

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Along Derech Ha’Avot, green grapes and ancient steps evoke memories of the biblical spies, the fruits of the land, and the lesson of being in Israel without fear.

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A leafy fig tree, one thing the spies never let themselves taste.

Jerusalem cafe will remain open on Shabbat despite ultra-Orthodox protest, owner says

The Jerusalem Post magazine had highlighted Cafe Basimta last week as a new specialty caffeine spot which could serve as a "home away from home" for those seeking a quiet area in Jerusalem.

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