In the face of the 50-year boycott, two groups of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem have signaled their readiness to take part in the city's municipal elections in October 2018.
Bloomberg cited the groups' activists as saying that running for Jerusalem's municipal council will help them improve living conditions of Jerusalem-based Palestinians.
READ MORE: Most US' EU Allies to Ignore Embassy Move to Jerusalem, With a Few Exceptions
"The way things have been going the past 50 years, the Arabs are losing more and more of Jerusalem, and 20 years from now there will be nothing to negotiate," Aziz Abu Sarah, the Palestinian co-head of the Palestinian-Jewish Al Quds-Yerushalayim list, said.
Both groups have made it clear that their desire to participate in October's elections has nothing to do with seizing power in Jerusalem.
Earlier, the activists also tried to make municipal council bids only to face opposition from other Arabs who blamed them for cooperating with Israelis.
READ MORE: Jerusalem Mayor Plans to Rename Square Near Future US Embassy After Trump
At the time, Trump also recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in what was condemned by Muslim states and the countries backing a two-state solution which stipulates an independent State of Palestine along with the State of Israel located west of the Jordan River.
Israel seized then Jordan-controlled East Jerusalem in 1967. The Jerusalem Law, which was adopted by Israeli parliament in 1980, proclaimed the city as the "complete and united" capital of the Jewish State, something which was opposed by the Palestinians who claim Jerusalem's eastern part.
