NewsTracker Answers for week of Dec. 11, 2017

Q: Violence erupted last week in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, reversing decades of U.S. policy. Where is Israel?

Circle the area on this map


Q: Israel claimed West Jerusalem as its capital when the nation declared its independence in 1948. What neighboring nation controlled East Jerusalem before it was captured by Israel in 1967?

A. Egypt

B. Jordan

C. Lebanon

D. Syria


B. Before a 1967 war, Jordan controlled East Jerusalem and the West Bank of the Jordan River. Israel is bordered to the north by Lebanon, northeast by Syria, east by Jordan and the West Bank, south by Egypt and the Gaza Strip and west by the Mediterranean Sea.


Q: Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1967, but most nations consider it to be occupied territory. Who wants to use East Jerusalem as a future national capital?

A. Chaldeans

B. Jordanians

C. Palestinians

D. Samaritans


C. Palestinians are Arab descendants of people who have lived in historic Palestine for centuries and still live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip territories captured by Israel in 1967. Separate states for Arabs and Israelis have long been proposed as part of a permanent peace settlement in the region.


Q: Jerusalem is considered a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions, and conflicts between the groups have led to centuries of warfare to control the city. Which of these religions is NOT tied to the story of Abraham?

A. Buddhism

B. Christianity

C. Islam

D. Judaism


A. Buddhism is a Dharmic religion, among the faiths that originated on the Indian subcontinent. It is related to Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. A little more than half of the world’s people are adherents to the Abrahamic religions which originated in the Middle East.


Q: Officials met Saturday in the Arab world’s largest city to urge the United States to abandon its decision on Jerusalem. Which Arab city has most populous metropolitan area?

A. Algiers

B. Baghdad

C. Beirut

D. Cairo


D. There are about 20 million people in the Cairo metro area where Arab foreign ministers called on the UN Security Council to condemn Trump’s decision. Many said the decision means the U.S. can no longer claim to be a neutral peacemaker in the Middle East.