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One of the English names for an eighth, ancient gate in the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem that has been closed since the 16th century. See also Bab al-Dhahabi, Bab al-Rahma, Gate of Mercy.

See The Gates of the Old City for more detailed information and other names for this gate. 

A decision adopted by the Israeli government in May 2018 under the formal title Decision 3790 for the Reduction of Socio-economic Gaps and Economic Development in East Jerusalem; allocates a budget of NIS 2.2 billion (approx. USD630 million) over a five-year period to six main areas: education and higher education; economy and employment; transportation; improving civil services and quality of life (leisure, water and sewage infrastructure); health; and land registration. While this is the first time since 1967 that the government took steps to address critical needs in East Jerusalem, it remains to be seen which population will actually benefit from these efforts.

A 440 sq km region encompassing Jerusalem and its suburbs that Israel seeks to annex onto the municipal borders already annexed in 1980. Most of this land—75 percent—is part of the occupied West Bank. It includes, in addition to Israeli municipal Jerusalem, three major settlement blocs to the east, south, and north of the city, respectively, each with its own regional and local self-government: Ma‘ale Adumim, Gush Etzion, and Giv’at Ze’ev. These settlements, constructed on confiscated Palestinian public and private lands, have been expanded, developed, and connected to one another and to Jerusalem’s urban core through bypass roads—most of which are inaccessible to Palestinians with Palestinian Authority (PA) identity cards. The Knesset has considered plans to officially annex the region several times, only to delay the move due to international pressure. Completion of this vision will create an Israeli geographic center in the West Bank that is inaccessible to most Palestinians, and ultimately divide the West Bank into two separate parts without East Jerusalem, the stated Palestinian capital.

See Israel’s Vision of a Greater [Jewish] Jerusalem.

The first popular Palestinian uprising in modern Palestinian history. Also known as the Arab Revolt or the Great Revolt, the uprising lasted more than three years and was sparked by mass Palestinian protests against Colonial British Mandate policies. Specifically, Palestinians protested the ongoing influx of Jewish immigrants to Palestine and Britain’s sale of Arab lands to these Jewish settlers, which came at the expense of the Palestinian fellahin (farmers). As a result of these policies, which had been worsening the plight of Palestinians since Britain occupied Palestine in 1917, Palestinian workers went on a general strike across Palestine starting on April 19, 1936. During the strike, which lasted until October 1936, British Mandate forces violently repressed Palestinians. In turn, this caused a new wave of Palestinian resistance—led by Palestinian farmers—that lasted until the summer of 1939.

British Mandate forces ultimately suppressed the revolt, killing 3,832 Palestinians and injuring over 14,000. As a result of the revolt, the Palestinian nationalist movement was crushed, with several of its leaders, including Amin al-Hussaini, sent into exile. The revolt also led to Britain lending further support to Zionist militias like the Haganah, and to the weakening of Palestinian military power, including as a result of Britain’s seizure of much of their weapons. Indeed, the revolt was so traumatic for Palestinians, it directly impacted their ability to confront Zionist militias throughout the 1948 War.

The Green Line refers to line that was drawn on a map in green ink in 1949 as part of a set of armistice agreements following the 1948 War between Israel and the Arab countries that fought against it: Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. While the line according to the agreements was supposed to be considered temporary and unofficial, it is commonly treated as the de facto border of Israel and the basis upon which agreements are negotiated and reached with neighboring rival Arab states. It served as the basis of United Nations Security Council Resolution 242. In the country as a whole, the line separates pre-1967 Israel from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), and the Arab states around it. In the specific Jerusalem context, this line (and the no-man’s-land Seam zone around it) divided between West Jerusalem, which became part of the state when it was established in 1948, and East Jerusalem, which was annexed to Jordan until 1967. 

An Orthodox Jewish, messianic, right-wing settler movement, formally established in 1974 by Israeli soldiers who fought in the 1973 War. Its purpose was to promote the Jewish settlement of the territories occupied in 1967 based on biblical claims to the land, and with the intent of creating “facts on the ground”—regardless of government policy. The movement dwindled once the 1977 Likud government made West Bank settlement part of its official platform. Today’s Yesha Council succeeded Gush Emunim as the formal umbrella organization of the settler movement in the 1980s. Other Gush Emunim members joined Ataret Cohanim, Torat Kohanim, and the Young Israel Movement, which envisioned settling the Old City and its surroundings, and replacing the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque with a Jewish temple.

An account of the words, deeds, or endorsements of the Prophet Muhammad. 

Hadiths hold great importance in Islam, as they provide additional context and details for understanding the Quran’s teachings. Each hadith generally includes two components: the isnad (the chain of narrators) and the matn (the actual content of the narration). 

The authenticity of hadiths is assessed and categorized into various degrees, such as sahih (sound), hasan (good), and da‘if (weak), based on the credibility of the narrators and the consistency of the content. Renowned collections of hadith, like Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, are highly respected and extensively studied in the Islamic tradition.

A Zionist paramilitary organization, set up by a Labor Zionist party in 1920, that actively established Jewish settlements in and supported illegal Jewish immigration to Palestine. (In Hebrew, Haganah means “defense.”) Its purpose was to fight Arab resistance to Jewish settlement in Palestine. It was outlawed by the British Mandate but remained active. Until the end of World War II, its activities could be described as moderate when compared to the activities of the Stern Gang and Irgun, which it regarded as terrorist. After the war, however, the British refused to allow immigration to Palestine, and the Haganah turned to terrorism. It bombed bridges, railroads, and ships used to deport illegal Jewish immigrants. After the UN voted to partition Palestine in 1947, the Haganah acted as the army of the Zionist movement and fought both Mandate forces and Palestinian militias. By the time the State of Israel was declared, the Haganah controlled not only the areas allocated to the Jewish state by the Partition Plan, but also Jaffa and Acre. On May 31, 1948, it was dissolved by order of the provisional government of Israel, its members becoming the core of the state army. Its name is incorporated into the official name of the Israeli army, Tzva Haganah le-Yisra’el (translated as Israel Defense Forces). Haganah commanders who had careers in Israeli politics include Yigal Allon, Moshe Dayan, and Yisrael Galili.

The annual greater Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims.

As one of the five pillars of Islam, hajj is one of the core beliefs and practices that every Muslim must adhere to. It commemorates the actions of the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) and his family, embodying themes of faith, sacrifice, and submission to God.

Performing hajj at least once in a lifetime is mandatory for all adult Muslims who are physically and financially able to make the journey.

Hajj takes place during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijja, specifically from the 8th to the 12th day, and includes a series of specific rituals performed over several days. The conclusion of hajj marks the beginning of Eid al-Adha.

Hamas—the Arabic acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (Movement of Islamic Resistance)—is a Palestinian political party and Islamist national movement, founded in 1987 in the Gaza Strip after the outbreak of the First Intifada. Ideologically and organizationally, it is modeled after the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt.

The third holiest site in Islam, located in the southeastern corner of the Old City of Jerusalem, and referred to in English as the Temple Mount. The term “al-Haram al-Sharif" (Arabic for “The Noble Sanctuary”) is used interchangeably with the terms “al-Aqsa Mosque compound” or, simply, “al-Aqsa.” The elevated compound, which includes al-Aqsa Mosque and Qubbat al-Sakhra (Dome of the Rock), was built between 685 and 809 CE.

Muslims revere al-Haram al-Sharif as the site where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. The site is so important to Islam that it is one of the only two mosques mentioned in the Quran (the other being the al-Haram Mosque in Mecca). The Quran also considers al-Aqsa Mosque to be the first qibla, or point of direction for praying, and the Prophet and Muslims prayed toward it before it was changed to Mecca; as such, al-Aqsa is also known as the Qibla Mosque.

Al-Haram al-Sharif (Har ha-Bayit in Hebrew) is also one of the holiest sites in Judaism, believed to be where Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son Isaac. Jews also consider the Western Wall (al-Buraq Wall, for Muslims) of al-Haram al-Sharif to be the last remnant of King Herod’s Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Al-Haram al-Sharif is thus a highly significant and contested site for Muslims and Jews, and the site of violent confrontations between the two communities, including in the 1929 al-Buraq Uprising, the 2000 Second Intifada, and the 2021 Unity Intifada. To this day Israeli occupation forces carry out assaults on Palestinian worshippers in al-Aqsa.

Also referred to as Haram al-Sharif.

See al-Haram al-Sharif.

Literally translating to “[one who] trembles [from the word of God],” from the Hebrew, Haredi refers to a member of any one of a number of Orthodox Jewish branches characterized by strict adherence to Jewish law and tradition, rejecting modern or secular interpretations of scripture. 

The Haredim (plural) (also referred to as ultra-Orthodox) believe Jewish law and tradition remained unchanged since God revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Saini, and thus consider themselves the most reliable adherents to this ancient code and Judaism as a whole. Thus, they revere the Torah, both the Oral and Written Law, as the central and determining factor in all aspects of life and ascribe great status to those who study it. 

While the movement originated exclusively among Ashkenazi Jews in Europe in the 19th century, today Haredim primarily live in Israel, although Haredi communities do exist in parts of North America and Western Europe. 

A Haredi is often the most distinguishable adherent to Judaism on account of his or her garments: The men don wide-brimmed black hats and suits, and the women dress in modest long skirts, stockings, and head coverings. 

Haredi Jews typically live in communities with other Haredim, each community having its own synagogue. In Jerusalem, their main concentrations are in the neighborhoods of Bnei Brak and Mea Shearim. They follow the guidance of their rabbis on many decisions including where to live, whom to marry, and whom to vote for. They generally avoid contact with non-Haredim and non-Jews. In most Haredi families, the adult men devote themselves to studying the Torah, while adult women are the household’s sole earners. More recently, the Haredi in Israel have branched into upper-management business and the diamond industry.  

See also Hasid, Orthodox Jewish, ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Colloquialization of a common medieval Arabic term, hara (pl. harat, hawari), used for both street (or alley) and quarter (or section of a town). Not used on its own but rather together with the neighborhood name. See Haret al-Maghariba,Haret al-Sa‘diyya, Haret al-Sharaf. 

Haret al-Maghariba (“Moroccan neighborhood” in English) was a centuries-old neighborhood in the Old City of Jerusalem adjacent to the Western Wall that was home to approximately 650 people and 100 families. On June 10, 1967, days after Israel occupied Arab Jerusalem, it was entirely demolished by contractors hired by the Jerusalem municipality on the direct orders of Mayor Teddy Kollek.

Sources differ on the roots of the neighborhood’s name. Some sources indicate that the entire neighborhood was the Islamic waqf of King al-Afdal, one of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi’s 17 sons. Other sources say that the neighborhood was named after the Moroccan pilgrims who visited al-Aqsa Mosque, or that Moroccan religious students stayed in the neighborhood.

The neighborhood was located next to al-Buraq Wall, or what has become the Western Wall complex. The city rushed to demolish 135 homes and historic structures in the al-Maghariba neighborhood and turned it into an open square in the newly expanded Jewish Quarter. Today’s Jewish Quarter was built on the lands of the al-Maghariba and al-Sharaf neighborhoods.

A neighborhood (haret) located within Jerusalem’s Old City walls between Herod’s Gate/Bab al-Zahra and Damascus Gate/Bab al-Amud (see The Gates of the Old City). Haret al-Sa‘diyya (or “Sa‘diyya neighborhood” in English) was named after Bani Sa‘ad (“offspring of Sa‘ad”), i.e., the Sa‘adi family. This family was one of the tribes that came to Jerusalem with the Muslim conqueror Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi in the 12th century. According to a 2018 al-Quds newspaper interview with Abed al-Qader al-Bukhari (b. 1933), a resident of this neighborhood, the largely Kurdish neighborhood also had several other names. It was also called al-Mashariqa (“Orient”) neighborhood after the Eastern Christians who inhabited it during the Crusader era. The neighborhood is also abundant with antiquities, including the Red Minaret Mosque, Sheikh Rehan Mosque, Convent of the Sisters of Zion, Indian corner (zawiya), Salhiya school, Mawlawia corner, the mosque and tomb of Sheikh al-Shuyoukh Ali al-Khilouti, Sheikh Lulu Mosque, and the mosque and tomb of Sheikh Shaky Makki.  

An Old City north-to-south haret that used to lie adjacent and parallel to the now-demolished Haret al-Maghariba; named after the mausoleum of Sharaf al-Din Musa, a Jerusalem notable buried in the vicinity in the 14th century. The neighborhood formerly had Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. Today its location falls in the middle of the Jewish Quarter and it is known as Misgav Ladakh (Hebrew), or Sharaf or Maydan Street.

A follower of Hasidic Judaism, a movement that originated in mid-18th-century western Ukraine and encouraged the religious devotion of those who were not advanced Talmudic scholars or rabbis. Seen as a spiritual revival of sorts, this movement advocated for a direct experience of God through prayer and other rituals. 

The movement’s founder was Rabbi Israel Ben Eliezer (d. 1760), who was a schoolteacher and a laborer. He traveled widely and gained a large following, teaching his students to develop personal relationships with God that did not depend on rabbis as intermediaries. 

The Hasidism (Hebrew for “piety”) movement reached its height in the 19th century, with about half of Eastern European Jews adhering to its teachings and customs, including special dress and communication in Yiddish. 

As the movement evolved, it brought about a surge of Jewish mysticism that was more accessible to those who could not engage in lifelong study and offered an alternative to formal and scholastic approaches to Judaism. Hasidism favored Jewish ritual practice and personal prayer, often replete with magic and miracles, rather than formal Jewish study of the Torah. 

Today, Hasidism is considered a subset of Haredi Jewry and most Hasidic groups exist in Israel. The movement encompasses numerous subgroups, generally named after the town in which their rabbis worked, such as Gur, Chabad Lubavitch, Satmar, Bobov, Belz, Vishnitz, Bresnov, Chernobyl, and Sanz-Kluasenburg. In Jerusalem, the Hasidim are concentrated in the neighborhoods of Bnei Brak and Mea Shearim. Outside of Israel, they are largely concentrated in the New York/New Jersey area, Great Britain, Antwerp, and Montreal. 

Hasidim do not take kindly to the label “ultra-Orthodox Jew.” They prefer Hasid, Haredi, or just Jew. 

An agreement on arrangements for the Palestinian city of Hebron signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as part of the Oslo Accords. Also known as the Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron, the agreement stipulated Israel’s military redeployment from 80 percent of the city while maintaining a small Israeli settlement in the heart of the Palestinian urban area and religious center. Signed on January 17, 1997, the protocol gave the Israeli military 10 days to redeploy from H-1, while H-2, where several hundred Israeli settlers had occupied Palestinian homes, would remain under Israeli control. The Palestinian market and Shuhada Street near the settlement were to remain open. The rest of Shuhada Street remains closed and emptied of Palestinian residents.