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

Elie Wiesel's son rejects Rahm Emanuel's 'pariah' verdict on Israel

From Auschwitz to the UN, Elisha Wiesel describes the lessons he inherited from his father and the battle he believes must now be fought over language and memory.

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.

PremiumPremium

'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

Grapevine: How long is temporary?

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

JULY 4, 2026ByGREER FAY CASHMAN

Jerusalem highlights: July 3-9

What's new to do in Israel's capital?

JULY 3, 2026ByHAGAY HACOHEN

WATCH: Maccabiah opening ceremony kicks off in Jerusalem, thousands of athletes in attendance

Both President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the crowd during the ceremony, bidding the Jews who had come from around the world a warm “welcome home.”

JULY 1, 2026BySAM HALPERN

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

Israeli gov't recognition of Armenian Genocide fulfills 'moral duty,' senior bishop says

“It means a lot for the State of Israel, for the Jewish people," Baghdasaryan said. "It was really the moral duty for the State of Israel to recognize the Armenian genocide.”

JUNE 30, 2026BySAM HALPERN

Two rescued so far as firefighters working to combat fire at Rishon Lezion mall

Two people have been rescued from the fire so far and transferred to medical services for treatment.

JUNE 30, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

FIREFIGHTERS AT a fire in Jerusalem, June 30, 2026.

Israeli health-tech conference opens in Jerusalem with 1,800 participants from 40 countries

MIXiii Health-Tech.IL 2026 brought together investors, doctors, researchers, startups and global health-tech leaders, with a focus on Israeli emergency medicine, tech-bio, and technologies.

JUNE 29, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, IATI CEO and President Karin Mayer Rubinstein and Teva executive Mark Sabag attend the opening of MIXiii Health-Tech.IL 2026 in Jerusalem.

Israel praises Slovenia for moving embassy to Jerusalem, revoking Palestinian State recognition

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa has visited Israel on numerous occasions, including in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 massacre.

JUNE 28, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Jansa arrives at a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 18, 2026.

Jerusalem police arrest caregiver on suspicion of abuse and neglect of toddlers

The complaint alleges the caregiver "shouted and cursed at the toddlers, and in some cases even ignored their crying and needs while they were in her care."

JUNE 27, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Illustration of a police car in Kiryat Gat.

In the pink: Jerusalem's Botanical Gardens unfurls an array of lotus flowers

If you have ever visited the Botanical Gardens in the summer, you couldn’t have failed to espy the multitude of lotus flowers bursting out of the rich foliage that floats on the circular pond.

JUNE 27, 2026ByBARRY DAVIS

Pink lotuses seen at Jerusalem's Botanical Gardens.

Jerusalem highlights: June 26-July 2

What's new to do in Israel's capital?

JUNE 26, 2026ByHAGAY HACOHEN