West Jerusalem, also known as Western Jerusalem, is a section of the city located in the Jerusalem region of Israel. It was established as the portion of the city controlled by Israel at the conclusion of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Following the division of the city by the Green Line, West Jerusalem was formally delineated as the counterpart to East Jerusalem, which was under Jordanian control during that period.
While Israel has maintained control over the entirety of Jerusalem since the 1967 Arab–Israeli War, the boundaries between West and East Jerusalem remain internationally recognized as de jure. This distinction is significant due to the ongoing contention regarding the status of Jerusalem in both the Arab–Israeli and Israeli–Palestinian conflicts. Although undivided Jerusalem is not widely recognized as the sovereign territory of either Israel or the State of Palestine, recognition of Israeli sovereignty over only West Jerusalem is considered a more plausible diplomatic position by many.
The United Nations currently regards East Jerusalem as part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Consequently, West Jerusalem serves as a primary geographic and political reference point in international discussions concerning the final status of the city's borders and sovereignty.