Although the name "Palestine" has a thousand-year history, disputes over its use and the sovereignty of the historical region in the Middle East still continue and often lead to serious conflicts in the diplomatic arena.
State without territory
Unexpected for the world community, the declaration of independence of Palestine happened in November 1988, when the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) announced its desire to take control of the land on the West Bank of the Jordan. At the same time, the Palestinian government-in-exile had no opportunity to achieve its intentions at that time.
It was assumed that the liberated Palestine, whose capital should be in East Jerusalem, will peacefully coexist with Israel. However, this did not happen. The Jewish state occupied this part of the city. The capital of Palestine, albeit only an administrative one, was established in Ramallah in 1993. At the same time, an active negotiation process began between Israel and the PLO.
Ramallah is the capital of independent Palestine
Strictly speaking, Ramallah has become not so much the capital of a sovereign state asthe administrative center of the Arab autonomy within the borders of Israel. Unable to occupy Jerusalem, the Palestinians set up their government office in a city with no less remarkable history.
Scientists know for sure that the city of Ramallah existed in the era of the Judges, which is described in the Torah. It is also known that Judge Samuel, mentioned in the Book of Kings, lived in this city.
Palestine: no capital found
The government of the Palestinian state, self-proclaimed and recognized by far from all sovereign states that are members of the UN, believes that East Jerusalem should be the country's capital. However, Israel has its own opinion on this matter.
The Jewish state considers Jerusalem its capital and is trying in every possible way to force the world community to recognize this fact. For example, he convinces the White House to move the US Embassy there from Tel Aviv.
The world community, however, considers the eastern part of this city to be the occupied territories of the State of Palestine (135 countries out of 169 have recognized its independence).
Jerusalem: the capital of Palestine and beyond
The history of this city is so rich in various conquests, reigns and occupations that it is rather difficult to talk about its belonging to any particular state entity. It is not even possible to figure out who exactly to consider the indigenous people, because for almost four thousand years many of the pilgrims, conquerors andtravelers, having come to this city, stayed in it to live.
And the followers of the three Abrahamic religions consider Jerusalem to be their holy city. And many places that are in it are untouchable for one reason or another. The Temple Mount, for example, which is the undeniable center of the holy city, was never divided among all comers. Many believers cannot get there.
Temporary State of the Eternal City
The endless succession of governments and kingdoms has taught the locals that any rule ends sooner or later, but the state of relations between the PLO and Israel threatens to lead to the impasse that everyone fears.
However, the danger of such an outcome was reported by Britain when it withdrew its troops from the territory for which it was responsible, declaring that it was impossible to resolve the dispute between Jews and Arabs.
Since then, no one has offered a reasonable solution to the conflict between the two states. Palestine, whose capital should be in East Jerusalem, and Israel, which claims the same city, are not ready to compromise on this issue. Without the intervention of the world community, a solution is unlikely to be found. Israel, meanwhile, continues to occupy the territory of a neighboring state. This fact, of course, displeased Palestine. The capital of Ramallah is considered only a temporary seat of the government of this state.
