A GEOGRAPHIC STORY OF MAPS, JERUSALEM AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY Finding Jerusalem A GEOGRAPHIC STORY OF MAPS, JERUSALEM AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY David Byers Miller Assistant Professor, Geography & Geopolitics, NOVA

IS THE WESTERN WALL IN ISRAEL? On May 18, 2017, Nikki Haley, President Donald Trump's U.N. ambassador, waded into a diplomatic minefield by asserting that the Western Wall is part of Israel ⎯ a deviation from U.S. policy. The Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.

IS THE WESTERN WALL IN ISRAEL? As the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Haley’s public comments on foreign policy are assumed to be statements of U.S. policy. Contradicting Haley, the State Department said, "the Western Wall is in Jerusalem." In short, the Western Wall is in Jerusalem ⏤ but not in Israel. Confusing?

IS THE WESTERN WALL IN ISRAEL? Since Israel's founding in 1948, the U.S. has maintained that "no state has sovereignty over the city of Jerusalem" and that it's a "final status" issue that must be resolved through Israeli-Palestinian negotiation. In essence, the U.S. denies that Jerusalem is in Israel. Official U.S. policy: While Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, the international community does not recognize it as such; the U.S., like all other countries, maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv-Yafo.

U.S. POLICY: JERUSALEM IS NOT IN ISRAEL … then where is it and why? In 1950, When Jerusalem was proclaimed Israel’s capital, it existed as a divided city, like Germany’s Berlin. Israel controlled western Jerusalem after the 1948 war, and Jordan held eastern Jerusalem, including the Old City. There was a No Man’s Land (white on map) separating the armies of Israel and Jordan ⏤ until 1967. Jerusalem’s No Man’s Land divided the city from 1948 to 1967

Israel annexed areas In yellow (above) to Jerusalem after 1967 war. U.S. POLICY: JERUSALEM IS NO MAN’S LAND… pending an Israeli-Palestinian Accord Jerusalem since 1967 In 1967, Israel gained all of Jerusalem, as well as the West Bank, in the Six Day War. Israel formally annexed eastern Jerusalem in 1980, but the U.S. did not recognize this. Israel annexed areas In yellow (above) to Jerusalem after 1967 war. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan (center) in Jerusalem’s Old City in 1967 after defeating Jordan’s army.

U.S. POLICY: JERUSALEM IS NO MAN’S LAND… pending an Israeli-Palestinian Accord The U.S. Geographic Names Database puts Jerusalem under No Man’s Land, meaning no country sovereignty is recognized. The GEOnet Names Server (GNS) is at http://geonames.nga.mil/gns/html/index.html, and it locates and provides official U.S. government spellings for foreign geographic names. You cannot find city of Jerusalem under the “country names” of Israel or West Bank. But select “No Man’s Land” from the country names menu at http://geonames.nga.mil/namesgaz, and you will get the results (below) for Jerusalem.

U.S. POLICY: EMBASSY IS IN TEL AVIV, ISRAEL but no country is listed for the Jerusalem consulate The U.S. Consulate, in west Jerusalem near the Old City (see map at right), shows no country in the official address.

U.S. POLICY ON MAPS Israel is shown without a capital city U.S. government maps, including CIA (left), show Israel without a star for its capital city. Israeli maps (right) show Jerusalem as the capital, and private U.S. mapmakers, like National Geographic (far right), also show a star for Jerusalem.

COULD U. S. POLICY CHANGE ON JERUSALEM. Yes COULD U.S. POLICY CHANGE ON JERUSALEM? Yes! The Trump Administration wants change The Jerusalem Embassy Act allows President Trump to move the embassy by not signing a waiver by June 2, 2017. June marks the 50th anniversary of the 1967 war, which reunified Jerusalem. Also, 2017 marks 67 years since Jerusalem was proclaimed Israel’s capital. Policy should change this year. Trump campaigned on a pledge to move the embassy, and he visits Jerusalem May 22-23.