Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories

Since the Camp David talks between Israeli and Palestinian delegations in July 2000, the conventional wisdom shared by international diplomats and Israeli politicians of all stripes has been not whether but how to divide Jerusalem.

The battle for Jerusalem, or in effect the battle over the Judaization of the city, has been waged with ups and downs since East Jerusalem was annexed to Israel. Recently, it has reached a higher plane. One aspect of it is apparent and understood by everyone: the battle over assets.

The trajectory of the 74-kilometer separation barrier in and around Jerusalem was approved by the cabinet of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on February 2005, but portions of its route remain subject to Israeli legal review.

The United States has compiled a record of diplomatic pronouncements on Jerusalem spanning more than half a century. During this time, U.S. policy has evolved from adherence to the concept of an internationalized Jerusalem, to acceptance if not recognition of Jerusalem’s division.