Although the name "Palestine" has a thousand-year history, disputes over its use and the sovereignty of the historical region in the Middle East are still ongoing and often lead to serious conflicts in the diplomatic arena.
State without territory
The unexpected declaration of Palestine independence by the world community took place in November 1988, when the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) announced its desire to take control of land on the West Bank. At the same time, the Palestinian government in exile had no opportunity to realize its intentions at that time.
It was assumed that liberated Palestine, the capital of which should be located in East Jerusalem, would peacefully coexist with Israel. However, this did not happen. The Jewish state occupied this part of the city. The capital of Palestine, even if only administrative, was established in Ramallah in 1993. At the same time, an active negotiation process began between Israel and the PLO.
Ramallah - the capital of independent Palestine
Strictly speaking, Ramallah became not so much the capital of a sovereign state as the administrative center of Arab autonomy within the borders of Israel. Unable to occupy Jerusalem, the Palestinians set up an office of their government in a city with no less remarkable history.
Scientists reliably know 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: the capital is not 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 the capital of the country should be East Jerusalem. However, Israel has its own opinion on this matter.
The Jewish state considers Jerusalem to be its capital and is trying in every possible way to force the world community to recognize this fact. For example, the White House convinces the White House to transfer the US Embassy from Tel Aviv there.
The world community, however, considers the eastern part of this city to be occupied territories of the State of Palestine (135 countries out of 169 recognized its independence).
Jerusalem: the capital of Palestine and not only
The history of this city is so rich in various conquests, reigns and occupations that it’s quite difficult to talk about its belonging to any particular state formation. It’s not even possible to figure out exactly whom to consider indigenous people, because for almost four thousand years, many of the pilgrims, conquerors and travelers, having come to this city, remained in it.
And the followers of the three Abrahamic religions even consider Jerusalem 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 mess of governments and kingdoms accustomed local residents to the fact that sooner or later, any rule ends, but the state of relations between the PLO and Israel threatens to lead to a dead end, which everyone is afraid of.
However, the danger of such an outcome was reported by Britain when it withdrew its troops from the territory for which it was responsible, saying that it was impossible to resolve the dispute between Jews and Arabs.
Since then, no one has proposed a reasonable resolution of the conflict between the two states. Palestine, whose capital should be in East Jerusalem, and Israel, claiming 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. Palestine is, of course, unhappy with this fact. The capital Ramallah is considered only a temporary residence of the government of this state.