Abstract

Throughout the twentieth century, Jerusalem has been an object of desire for national entities seeking to establish symbolic and political control over the Holy City. The British Empire based its mandatory capital in Jerusalem. Zionists and Palestinians struggled for recognition in the city (and the rest of Palestine) during the British Mandate period (1920–1948). ¹ Jerusalem was to be set up under a “Special International Regime” according to 1947 UN Resolution 181 that called for the Partition of Palestine, but Israeli and Jordanian Arab Legion forces fought fiercely over the city during the 1948 Palestine War. ² That war also caused a refugee crisis for the indigenous Arab population, as Resolution 181 failed to create an Arab state.