Israel is about to mark the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War, a brief but pivotal conflict that redrew the borders of Israel and the neighbouring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. According to the Jewish calendar, the anniversary falls on 24 May this year, but for most of the world the anniversary will be on 5 June.
Over the five decades since the war, Jerusalem has seen controversy over settlements, violence, and demographic change, yet many of the key sites in the Old City have changed relatively little. Reuters has assembled Israeli government archive photos taken in Jerusalem in 1967, and their photographers have taken pictures of the same sites as they are today. Move your mouse/finger over each image to switch between 1967 and 2017.
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Israeli commander Motta Gur and his brigade are seen observing the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, from their command post on the Mount of Olives on 7 June 1967, just prior to their attack on Jerusalem's Old City. Visitors are seen taking pictures in the same location on 15 May 2017 (Photos: Government Press Office/Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)
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Arab Legion positions seen under fire to clear way for Israeli units to take over the hills surrounding Jerusalem's Old City, on 6 June 1967. The view of the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Wadi al-Joz in the foreground and Mount of Olives in the background, is pictured on 14 May 2017 (Photos: Government Press Office/Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)
In response to the build-up of Arab troops on its border, Israel launched a large-scale surprise air strike on Egyptian airfields on 5 June 1967, destroying almost the entire Egyptian air force. Simultaneously, Israel launched twin surprise ground offensives into the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula, both of which were Egyptian territory.
Encouraged by false reports of Egypt's crushing victory against Israel, Syria and Jordan entered the conflict. Israel retaliated and seized control of East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria.
A ceasefire was signed on 11 June. The conflict was a disaster for the Arab forces, with more than 20,000 killed. Israel lost fewer than a thousand people, and expanded its territory.
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Palestinians are seen standing in front of the Dome of the Rock on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, on 23 June 1967, and the same location is seen on 17 May 2017 (Photos: Moshe Pridan/Government Press Office/Reuters/Ammar Awad)
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Avshalom's tomb and the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem are seen on 22 June 1967, and the same location is pictured on 17 May 2017. (Photos: Moshe Pridan/Government Press Office/Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)
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Men and women are seen standing in separate sections at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City, on 1 September 1967, and the same location is seen on 17 May 2017. (Photos: Fritz Cohen/Government Press Office/Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)
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People are seen standing in a plaza near al-Aqsa mosque during Friday prayers on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City on 23 June 1967, and the same location is seen on 17 May 2017 (Photos: Moshe Pridan/Government Press Office/Reuters/Ammar Awad)
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An ancient archway and ramp leading to the Qayt Bay fountain or Sabil Qaitbay on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, are seen on 23 August 1967, and the same location is pictured on 17 May 2017 (Photos: Fritz Cohen/Government Press Office/Reuters/Ammar Awad)
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An Arab woman is seen shopping at a stall selling freshly ground spices at a market in Jerusalem on 1 July 1967, and a man is seen buying freshly ground spices from the same stall on 16 May 2017 (Photos: Ilan Bruner/Government Press Office/Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)
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A boy is seen selling bagels in an alley of Jerusalem's Old City on 14 July 1967, and the same location is pictured on 17 May 2017 (Photos: Fritz Cohen/Government Press Office/Reuters/Ammar Awad)
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People are seen walking near Damascus Gate, which leads into Jerusalem's Old City, on 14 July 1967, and the same location is pictured on 14 May 2017 (Photos: Fritz Cohen/Government Press Office/Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)
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Men are seen sitting at a pavement cafe in Jerusalem's Old City on 19 June 1967, and the same location is pictured on 17 May 2017 (Photos: Moshe Pridan/Government Press Office/Reuters/Ammar Awad)
Israel considers the whole of Jerusalem – including the Old City and its eastern suburbs – to be its eternal capital, and is set to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of what it calls the unification of Jerusalem.
However, the international community does not recognise Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem. The Palestinians seek an independent state, with the borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war, and East Jerusalem as its capital. Most Israelis reject a return to 1967 borderlines as a threat to their security.
Israel has announced it intends to build 15,000 new settlement homes in East Jerusalem, despite US President Donald Trump's request to "hold back" on settlements as part of a possible new push for Israeli-Palestinian peace. The last peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in 2014.
