Image by Getty Images

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The State Department referred to Palestinians living in East Jerusalem as “Arab residents” and “non-Israeli citizens,” ditching the traditional term “Palestinian residents” in a move that continues the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Reuters first reported the change Wednesday, which was evident in language in the latest State Department human rights report. West Bank residents are still described as Palestinian in the report.

Why it matters:

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The overwhelming majority of Palestinians in Jerusalem, numbering some 340,000, prefer to be known as “Palestinian.” Palestinians have long sought East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

The move could inflame tensions in the debate over President Trump’s recently released Middle East peace plan, which would see Israel incorporate land that much of the international community sees as illegally occupied.

“Palestinian Jerusalemites are Palestinians, and they’ve been living there for centuries,” Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestine Liberation Organization official who lives in Jerusalem, told Reuters. “Just to decide this, to eradicate their identity and history and culture and rename them at will, is not only preposterous, it’s unconscionable.”

The post US State Department now calls East Jerusalem Palestinians ‘Arab residents’ or ‘non-Israeli citizens’ appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount