evidence: The political geography of Israel and the Palestinian territories has been changing for more than a century. British imperial control, wars, Jewish settlements and Israeli occupation have greatly shrunk the Palestinian people’s land area, while Israel has expanded its footprint. Both Palestinians and Israelis see the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea as their own, and Christians, Jews and Muslims all consider parts of the land sacred. [...] In 1947, as the end of the British Mandate neared, the United Nations proposed partitioning Palestine into a Jewish state and a smaller Palestinian state. Jerusalem — a holy site for Jews, Christians and Muslims — would be placed under an international trustee system. Palestinians rejected the proposal, which would have left them with less than half of their land and forced many from their homes. Zionist militias attacked Palestinian villages, causing thousands to flee. [...] In 1980, Israel passed the "Jerusalem Law," formalizing the annexation of East Jerusalem and declaring the whole of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. The United Nations said that the move violated international law and that the status of the city can be determined only through a negotiation process between Israelis and Palestinians. (In a reversal of long-standing U.S. policy, the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017.)