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West Jerusalem
Section of Jerusalem controlled by Israel

West Jerusalem

West Jerusalem or Western Jerusalem is the section of Jerusalem that was controlled by Israel at the end of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

Plan a trip to West Jerusalem→From Tel Aviv

As the city was divided by the Green Line, West Jerusalem was formally delineated as the counterpart to East Jerusalem, which was controlled by Jordan. Though Israel has controlled the entirety of Jerusalem since the 1967 Arab–Israeli War, the boundaries of West Jerusalem and East Jerusalem remain internationally recognized as de jure due to their significance to the process of determining the status of Jerusalem, which has been among the primary points of contention in the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. With certain exceptions, undivided Jerusalem is not internationally recognized as the sovereign territory of either Israel or the State of Palestine. However, recognition of Israeli sovereignty over only West Jerusalem is more widely accepted as a plausible diplomatic position, as the United Nations regards East Jerusalem as part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Get in

Getting to West Jerusalem

See Jerusalem. When coming from the airport or other places in Israel, West Jerusalem is the first part of the city you will encounter.

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    The Knesset

    The Knesset offers guided tours (in Hebrew, Arabic, English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Amharic, Yiddish, and Finnish) for the public.

  2. 02
    Supreme Court

    Located between the Knesset and the Central Bus Station, the Supreme Court building (opened 1992) is a mixture of traditional Jerusalem architecture and modern elements.

  3. 03
    Mount Herzl
  4. 04
    Yad Vashem

    Herzl terminal station, then take the free shuttle to Yad Vashem (every 20 minutes) or walk 10 minutes (museum signs are visible)), general.information@yadvashem.org.il.

  5. 05
    HaPaamon

    A Jordanian military position from 1948-1967, on the flat land between Kibbutz Ramat Rachel and the Arab neighborhood Sur Baher.

Do

Things to do

  1. 01
    All Nations Cafe
  2. 02
    First Station

    Between 1892 and 1998, Jerusalem's train station was located here, not too far from the Old City.

  3. 03
    Great Synagogue

    Built in 1982, this synagogue seats 1400 people and was intended to function as Jerusalem's central synagogue.

  4. 04
    Ein Yael

    A living museum where farming and crafts techniques are demonstrated in a natural setting.

  5. 05
    National Library

    The world's largest collection of Jewish books and records.

  6. 06
    Cinema City

    Full of loud flashing signs and life-sized movie character figurines, it is the definition of tacky.

Eat

Where to eat

  1. 01
    The Eucalyptus
  2. 02
    Shalom Felafel

    36 Bezalel.

  3. 03
    Melech HaFalafel VeHaShawarma
  4. 04
    Bein Aza LeBerlin

    At the corner of Gaza St and Berlin St, with a second branch downtown.

  5. 05
    Masudi

    A variety of tasty Israel and Jewish dishes, including shawarma and cholent.

How locals move

Getting around West Jerusalem the local way

  • Get inBy shuttle - The 'Nesher' shared taxi service (+972 2 623 1231 - Hebrew and English) is a 10-seat minibus that runs approximately hourly services to/from the airport, 24/7.
  • Get inNotes: Some Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem are seen as "no go zones" by Israeli Jews, and some taxi drivers, including shared taxis, may hesitate or even refuse to take you to these destinations.
  • Get inTaxi drivers, including shared taxis, have been known to overcharge or shortchange, so check the price before boarding, and check your change when it is handed back to you.
  • Get inOn the Sabbath, and very late at night, your only option other than a private taxi is a sherut (shared taxi).
  • Get inShared taxis are also the best option if travelling between Jerusalem and Palestinian cities in the West Bank, especially Ramallah and Bethlehem.
  • Get inThere is a shared taxi direct to/from the Allenby bridge (The border crossing with Jordan), for (Feb 2019) ₪42 plus ₪5 per luggage or 10 JD for 1 seat plus 1 luggage (picking up from Al-Souq Al-Tijaree "The commercial souq" not far away from the main bus station).
  • Get inAll Palestinian shared taxis are very cheap, ₪5.00 for the surrounding villages, ₪5.50 for Abu-Dis and ₪6.50 for Ramallah.
  • Get aroundBoth differ from the shared taxi ("sherut" or "servees"), which runs fixed routes for many people like a bus.

From Wikivoyage: Jerusalem, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: PRAVEEN (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.