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  • Writer's pictureiKonnect

Jerusalem is Declared Capital of Israel

To the Jewish people, Jerusalem is the holiest and most significant city in Israel. In 1980 it was declared the capital of Israel. You heard me right, in 1980, not Trump in 2019!

A woman leans on a railing on the roof of a building in the Old City of Jerusalem overlooking the Western Wall
Overlooking the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

On July 30, 1980, the Basic Law of Jerusalem was passed by the Knesset under Menahem Begin's government and Jerusalem was declared the capital of Israel!

Besides declaring Jerusalem as the capital, the law also stated that Jerusalem is the seat of the President, Knesset, and Supreme Court.


Holy sites in Jerusalem will be protected by government aid, and nothing will violate the freedom of all people of all religions to access these sites.


Currently, the USA, Kosovo, and Guatemala are the only two countries that have their embassies in Jerusalem all the others are in Tel Aviv.

Of course, given Jerusalem's rich history and significance, there is conflict around this declaration. But as it stands, if you ask an Israeli on the street what the capital of Israel is, they will respond with, "Jerusalem."

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