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.

Firefighters extinguish bus fire on Highway 1 between Jerusalem, Ma’aleh Adumim

In a separate incident, six people were injured in a car accident between three vehicles on Highway 92 near the Sea of Galilee.

AUGUST 17, 2026|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM

Screenshot from video of bus fire on Highway 1 between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim, August 17, 2026.

Late poet Amir Gilboa’s rich oeuvre is celebrated at the festival.

Metula's Israeli Poets’ Festival returns to Jerusalem with all disciplinary guns blazing

If your idea of poetry is a neatly rhyming ditty, attending the festival should thoroughly disabuse you of that constricted notion and open up broad new vistas for your literary epiphany enjoyment.

AUGUST 16, 2026|ByBARRY DAVIS

The HaMiffal yard offers a charming ambiance with a slew of intriguing artworks.

HaMiffal cultural center marks ten years and counting of community-oriented creation

“We understand we can show Jerusalem in a different light,” says artistic director and co-director Doron Gallia-Kind. “Not the one shown in newspapers and on the news."

AUGUST 16, 2026|ByBARRY DAVIS

Cats are famously well-groomed, and Tziporanayim is just the place.

Jerusalemite of the Week: Candice Nemoff showcases her artistic soul - interview

"My mom taught me how to do my own nails when I was young... I never really looked into classes until my husband encouraged me."

AUGUST 16, 2026|ByAARON REICH

Modern luxury meets old-world grandeur at Jerusalem's Waldorf Astoria

Modern luxury at Jerusalem’s Waldorf Astoria

JULY 13, 2026ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH

Despite the struggles facing Israel’s tourism industry, the hotel has striven to maintain a high level of service and make sure visitors receive the same care and attention.

Premium

This is the price of 3 nights in Israeli hotels for Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot

We checked the costs of three nights for a family in four popular destinations in Israel: Eilat, the Dead Sea, Tiberias, and Jerusalem.

JULY 13, 2026ByEYAL SHAPIRA

A Shabbat with a view: Falling for Hotel Beit Shmuel, one balcony at a time - review

Good food, better panoramas, and one contested piece of cake.

JULY 12, 2026ByERICA SCHACHNE

Haredi protesters disrupt light rail construction, block traffic on Jerusalem's Bar Ilan Street

Police officers and Border Police are on the scene, attempting to disperse the protesters, Israel Police confirmed.

JULY 12, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Ultra-Orthodox jewish men block a road during a protest against the jailing of yeshiva students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order, in Jerusalem, July 1, 2026; Illustrative.

'Jewish, Christian and Islamic Traditions': Jerusalem and its names - review

The book offers a perspective on how language itself shapes the identity, and holiness of Jerusalem.

JULY 12, 2026ByBEN SOLOMON

A SECTION of what is believed to be the world’s ‘Foundation Stone,’ currently under the Golden Dome.

Man stabbed to death in Jerusalem's Nahlaot after Jaffa shooting, Haifa stabbing

Earlier on Saturday, a man in his 30s was critically injured after a shooting on Jerusalem Boulevard in Jaffa, according to Ynet News.

JULY 11, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Jerusalem partially saves historic Bikur Cholim building after backlash over haredi seminary plan

Opponents propose turning it into a cultural or arts center, heritage campus, performance venue, cafes and community spaces, or a museum on Jerusalem medicine and preservation.

JULY 11, 2026ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH