Public calls by Palestinians for the restoration of Jordanian citizenship to all Palestinian East Jerusalemites has increased in recent weeks due in part to the increased Israeli attempts to divorce Jerusalemites from any connection to the Palestinian leadership.

Some 350,000 stateless Palestinians live in Jerusalem. Their plight has deteriorated over the years, especially since the 1993 PLO-Israel Declaration of Principles (also known as the Oslo Accord) that separated East Jerusalem from the rest of the occupied territories.

While Jerusalem is a final status negotiation issue, the reality on the ground after a quarter of a century — especially under the right-wing Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu — has focused in large part on attempts to cut off any connections between Palestinians in Jerusalem and the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah.

Khalil Assali, the publisher of an East Jerusalem-focused website, Akhbar el Balad, wrote Dec. 23, “Jerusalemites are yearning for a return of Jordanian citizenship.” Al-Monitor talked with dozens of East Jerusalemites from different backgrounds and their answer was unanimous in support of the idea.