West Bank

This article is about the geographic region. For other uses, seeWest Bank (disambiguation).

West Bank الضفة الغربية הגדה המערבית
Palestinian flag
Location of the West Bank within the claimed territory of theState of Palestine
Status	Claimed by theState of Palestine Partiallyadministeredby thePalestinian National AuthorityinAreas A and B UnderIsraeli occupation.
Common languages	Arabic,Hebrew
Religion	Islam,Judaism,Christianity,Samaritanism
Area
• Total	5,655 km2(2,183 sq mi)
Population
• 2021 estimate	2,949,246
• Density	522/km2(1,352.0/sq mi)
Currency	Israeli shekel(ILS) Jordanian dinar(JOD)
Time zone	UTC+2(Palestine Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3(Palestine Summer Time)
Calling code	+970
ISO 3166 code	PS

TheWest Bank(Arabic:الضفة الغربية,romanized:aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah;Hebrew:הַגָּדָה הַמַּעֲרָבִית,romanized:HaGadáh HaMaʽarávit), so called due to its location relative to theJordan River,is the larger of the twoPalestinian territories(the other being theGaza Strip). A landlocked territory near the coast of theMediterranean Seain theLevantregion ofWest Asia,it is bordered byJordanand theDead Seato the east and byIsrael(via theGreen Line) to the south, west, and north.The territory has been underIsraeli occupationsince 1967.

The territory first emerged in the wake of the1948 Arab–Israeli Waras a region occupied and subsequentlyannexedby Jordan. Jordan ruled the territory until the 1967Six-Day War,when it wasoccupied by Israel.Since then,Israel has administeredthe West Bank as theJudea and Samaria Area,expanding its claim intoEast Jerusalemin1980.The mid-1990sOslo Accordssplit the West Bank intothree regional levelsof Palestinian sovereignty, via thePalestinian National Authority(PNA): Area A (PNA), Area B (PNA and Israel), andArea C(Israel, comprising 60% of the West Bank). The PNA exercises total or partial civil administration over 165Palestinian enclavesacross the three areas.

The West Bank remains central to theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict.The Palestinians consider it the heart of theirenvisioned state,along with the Gaza Strip. Right-wing and religious Israelis see it as theirancestral homeland,with numerous biblical sites. There is a push among some Israelis for partial or complete annexation of this land. Additionally, it is home to a rising number of Israeli settlers.Area C contains 230Israeli settlementsinto whichIsraeli law is appliedand under the Oslo Accords was supposed to be mostly transferred to the PNA by 1997, but this did not occur.The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal underinternational law.Citing the 1980 law in which Israel claimed Jerusalem as its capital, the 1994Israel–Jordan peace treaty,and the Oslo Accords, a 2004 advisory ruling by theInternational Court of Justiceconcluded that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, remainIsraeli-occupied territory.

The West Bank has a land area of about 5,640 square kilometres (2,180 square miles). It has an estimated population of 2,747,943Palestinians,and over 670,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, of which approximately 220,000 live in East Jerusalem.

Etymology

West Bank

City ofBethlehem,West Bank

The nameWest Bankis a translation of theArabictermaḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah,which designates the territory situated on the western side of theJordan Riverthat wasoccupied in 1948andannexed in 1950by theHashemite Kingdom of Jordan.This annexation was widely considered to be illegal, and was recognized only byIraq,Pakistan,and theUnited Kingdom.

Cisjordan

Variations on the neo-LatinnameCisiordania(lit. 'on this side of the River Jordan') are the usual names for the territory inRomance languages,e.g.Spanish:Cisjordania,Portuguese:Cisjordânia,French:Cisjordanie,Italian:Cisgiordania,andRomanian:Cisiordania,and in some others, e.g.Basque:Zisjordania,Breton:Sisjordania,Hungarian:Ciszjordánia,Guarani:Sihorytáña,andEsperanto:Cisjordanio.The nameWest Bank,however, has become the standard usage for this geopolitical entity inEnglishand some of the otherGermanic languagessince its inception following the 1948 Jordanian capture.

The analogousTransjordan(lit. 'over the River Jordan') was historically used to designate the region now roughly comprising the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which lies to the east of the Jordan River.

History

See also:History of the ancient Levant,History of Palestine,Samaria § History,andJudea § History

From 1517 to 1917, the area now known as the West Bank was underTurkish rule,as part ofOttoman Syria.

The Cave of the Patriarchs is one of the most famous holy sites in the region.

At the 1920San Remo conference,the victoriousAllies of World War Iallocated the area to theBritish Mandate of Palestine(1920–1948). The San Remo Resolution, adopted on 25 April 1920, incorporated theBalfour Declarationof 1917. It and Article 22 of the Covenant of theLeague of Nationswere the basic documents upon which the British Mandate of Palestine was constructed. TheUnited KingdomproclaimedAbdullah Iasemirof theEmirate of Transjordanon 11 April 1921. He declared it an independentHashemitekingdom on 25 May 1946.

Under theUnited Nationsin 1947, it was designated as part of a proposedArab stateby thePartition Plan for Palestine.UN Resolution 181 recommended the splitting of the British Mandate into aJewish state,an Arab state, and aninternationally administered enclave of Jerusalem.A broader region of the modern-day West Bank was assigned to the Arab state. The resolution designated the territory described as "the hill country ofSamariaandJudea",the area now known as the "West Bank", as part of the proposed Arab state. Following the1948 Arab–Israeli War,this area was captured byTransjordan.

Jordanian West Bank

Further information:Jordanian annexation of the West Bank,King Hussein's federation plan,Islamization of Jerusalem,andPalestinians in Jordan

King Husseinflying over theTemple Mountin Jerusalem when it was under Jordanian control, 1965

During the 1948 war, Israel occupied parts of what was designated in the UN partition plan as "Palestine". The1949 Armistice Agreementsdefined theinterim boundarybetween Israel and Jordan, essentially reflecting the battlefield after the war.Following the December 1948Jericho Conference,Transjordan annexed the area west of the Jordan River in 1950, naming it "West Bank" or "Cisjordan", and designated the area east of the river as "East Bank" or "Transjordan". Jordan, as it was now known, ruled over the West Bank from 1948 until 1967. Jordan's annexation was never formally recognized by the international community, with the exception of the United Kingdom and Iraq.King Abdullah of Jordanwas crowned King of Jerusalem by the Coptic Bishop on 15 November 1948.Palestinian Arabs in the West Bank, includingEast Jerusalem,were granted Jordanian citizenship and half of theJordanian Parliamentseats, thus enjoying equal opportunities in all sectors of the state.

Many refugees continued to live in camps and relied onUNRWAassistance for sustenance. Palestinian refugees constituted more than a third of the kingdom's population of 1.5 million. The last Jordanian elections in which West Bank residents voted in were those of April 1967. Their parliamentary representatives continued in office until 1988, when West Bank seats were abolished. Palestinians enjoyed equal opportunities in all sectors of the state without discrimination.Agriculture remained the primary activity of the territory. The West Bank, despite its smaller area, contained half of Jordan's agricultural land.

In 1966, 43% of the labor force of 55,000 worked in agriculture, and 2,300 km²were under cultivation. In 1965, 15,000 workers were employed in industry, producing 7% of the GNP. This number fell after the 1967 war and was not surpassed until 1983.Thetourismindustry played an important role. 26 branches of 8 Arab banks were present. TheJordanian dinarbecame legal tender and remains so until today.80% of Jordan's fruit-growing land and 40% of its vegetables lay in the West Bank. With the onset of the occupation, the area could no longer produce export earnings.

On the eve of occupation, the West Bank accounted for 40% of Jordanian GNP, between 34% and 40% of its agricultural output and almost half of its manpower, though only a third of Jordanian investment was allocated to it and mainly to the private housing construction sector.Even though its per-capita product was 10 times greater than that of the West Bank, the Israeli economy on the eve of occupation had experienced two years (1966–1967) of a sharp recession.

Immediately after the occupation, from 1967 to 1974, the economy boomed. In 1967, the Palestinian economy had a gross domestic product of $1,349 per capita for a million people.The West Bank's population was 585,500,of whom 18% were refugees, and was growing annually by 2%. West Bank growth, compared to Gaza (3%), had lagged, due to the effect of mass emigration of West Bankers seeking employment in Jordan.As agriculture gave way to industrial development in Israel, in the West Bank the former still generated 37% of domestic product, and industry a mere 13%.

The growth rate of the West Bank economy in the period of the Jordanian rule of the West Bank, before Israeli occupation, had ticked along at an annual rate of 6-8%. This rate of growth was indispensable if the post-war West Bank were to achieveeconomic self-reliance.

Israeli Military Governorate and Civil Administration

Main articles:Israeli Military GovernorateandIsraeli Civil Administration

In June 1967, the West Bank and East Jerusalem were captured by Israel as a result of theSix-Day War.With the exception of East Jerusalem and the formerIsraeli–Jordanian no man's land,the West Bank was not annexed by Israel. It remained underIsraeli military controluntil 1982.

The1974 Arab League summitresolution atRabatdesignated thePalestinian Liberation Organization(PLO) as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people". Jordan did not officially relinquish its claim to the area until 1988,when it severed all administrative and legal ties with the West Bank and eventually stripped West Bank Palestinians of Jordanian citizenship.

In 1982, as a result of theEgypt–Israel peace treaty,the direct military rule was transformed into asemi-civil authority,operating directly under the Israeli Ministry of Defense, taking control of civil matters of Palestinians from the IDF to civil servants in the Ministry of Defense. The Israeli settlements were administered asJudea and Samaria Area,directly by Israel.

Since the 1993Oslo Accords,thePalestinian Authorityofficially controls a geographically non-contiguous territory comprising approximately 11% of the West Bank, known asArea A,which remains subject to Israeli incursions. Area B, approximately 28%, is subject to joint Israeli-Palestinian military and Palestinian civil control.Area C,approximately 61%, is under full Israeli control. Though 164 nations refer to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as "Occupied Palestinian Territory",the state of Israel quotes the UN that only territories captured in war from "an established and recognized sovereign" are considered occupied territories.

After the2007 splitbetweenFatahandHamas,the West Bank areas underPalestinian controlare an exclusive part of the Palestinian Authority. TheGaza Stripisruled by Hamas.

Early economic impact

The Jordanians neglected to invest much in the area during their time governing the area, although there was some investment in the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem.

Soon after the 1967 war,Yigal Allonproduced theAllon Plan,which would have annexed a strip along the Jordan River valley and excluded areas closer to the pre-1967 border, which had a high density of Palestinians.Moshe Dayanproposed a plan whichGershom Gorenberglikens to a "photo negative of Allon's."The Allon plan evolved over a period of time to include more territory. The final draft dating from 1970 would have annexed about half of the West Bank.Israel had no overall approach for integrating the West Bank.

The early occupation set severe limits on public investment and comprehensive development programmes in the territories. British and Arab commercial banks operating in the West Bank were closed down soon after Israel assumed power there.Bank Leumithen opened nine branches, without successfully replacing the earlier system. Farmers could get loans, but Palestinian businessmen avoided taking out loans from them, since they charged 9% compared to 5% interest in Jordan.By June 1967, only a third of West Bank land had been registered under Jordan'sSettlement of Disputes over Land and Water Law.In 1968, Israel moved to cancel the possibility of registering one's title with the Jordanian Land Register.

Ian Lustickstates that Israel "virtually prevented" Palestinian investment in local industry and agriculture.At the same time, Israel encouraged Arab labour to enter into Israel's economy, and regarded them as a new, expanded and protected market for Israeli exports. Limited export of Palestinian goods to Israel was allowed.Expropriation of prime agricultural land in an economy where two thirds of the workforce had farmed is believed to account for the flight of labourers to work in Israel.

As much as 40% of the workforce commuted to Israel on a daily basis finding only poorly paid menial employment.Remittances from labourers earning a wage in Israel were the major factor in Palestinian economic growth during the 1969–73 boom years.The migration of workers from the territories had a negative impact on local industry, by creating an internal labour scarcity in the West Bank and consequent pressure for higher wages there.The contrast between the quality of their lives and Israelis' growing prosperity stoked resentment.

Attempting to impose governmental authority, Israel established a licensing system according to which no industrial plant could be built without obtaining a prior Israeli permit. With Military Order No. 393 (14 June 1970), the local commander was given the power and authority to block any construction if, in his evaluation, the building might pose a danger to Israel's security. The overall effect was to obstruct manufacturing development and subordinate any local industrial activity to the exigencies of Israel's economy, or to block the creation of industries that might compete with Israel's. For example, entrepreneurs were denied a permit for a cement factory in Hebron. In order to protect Israeli farmers, melon production was forbidden, imports of grapes and dates were banned, and limits were set to how many cucumbers and tomatoes could be produced.Israeli milk producers exerted pressure on theMinistry for Industry and Tradeto stop the establishment of a competitive dairy inRamallah.

The sum effect after two decades was that 15% of all Palestinian firms in the West Bank and Gaza employing over eight people, and 32% with seven or less, were prohibited from selling their products in Israel.Israeliprotectionist policiesdistorted wider trade relations to the point that, by 1996, 90% of all West Bank imports came from Israel, with consumers paying more than they would for comparable products had they been able to exercise commercial autonomy.

Legal status

Main article:Israeli occupation of the West Bank

See also:Judea and Samaria AreaandList of Israeli settlements

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Boundaries defined in the1947 UN Partition Plan for Palestine:

Area assigned for a Jewish state

Area assigned for an Arab state

PlannedCorpus separatumwith the intention thatJerusalemwould be neither Jewish nor Arab

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Armistice Demarcation Lines of 1949 (Green Line):

Israeli controlled territory from 1949

EgyptianandJordaniancontrolled territory from 1948 until 1967

From 1517 to 1917 the West Bank was part of theOttoman Empire.Turkey, successor state to the Ottoman Empire,renouncedits territorial claims in 1923, signing theTreaty of Lausanne,and the area now called the West Bank became an integral part of the British Mandate for Palestine. During the Mandate period Britain had no right of sovereignty, which was held by the people under the mandate.Nevertheless, Britain, as custodians of the land, implemented the land tenure laws in Palestine, which it had inherited from the Ottoman Turks (as defined in theOttoman Land Code of 1858), applying these laws to both Arab and Jewish legal tenants or otherwise.In 1947 the UN General Assembly recommended that the area that became the West Bank become part of a future Arab state, but this proposal was opposed by the Arab states at the time. In 1948, Jordan occupied the West Bank andannexed it in 1950.

In 1967, Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the Six-Day War.UN Security Council Resolution 242followed, calling for withdrawal (return to the 1949 armistice lines) from territories occupied in the conflict in exchange for peace and mutual recognition. Since 1979, theUnited Nations Security Council,theUnited Nations General Assembly,the United States,the EU,theInternational Court of Justice,and theInternational Committee of the Red Crossrefer to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as occupied Palestinian territory or the occupied territories. General Assembly resolution 58/292 (17 May 2004) affirmed that the Palestinian people have the right to sovereignty over the area.

TheInternational Court of Justiceand theSupreme Court of Israelhave ruled that the status of the West Bank is that of military occupation.In its 2004 advisory opinion the International Court of Justice concluded that:

The territories situated between the Green Line and the former eastern boundary of Palestine under the Mandate were occupied by Israel in 1967 during the armed conflict between Israel and Jordan. Under customary international law, the Court observes, these were therefore occupied territories in which Israel had the status of occupying Power. Subsequent events in these territories have done nothing to alter this situation. The Court concludes that all these territories (including East Jerusalem) remain occupied territories and that Israel has continued to have the status of occupying Power.

In the same vein the Israeli Supreme Court stated in the 2004Beit Sourikcase that:

The general point of departure of all parties – which is also our point of departure – is that Israel holds the area in belligerent occupation (occupatio bellica)......The authority of the military commander flows from the provisions of public international law regarding belligerent occupation. These rules are established principally in the Regulations Concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land, The Hague, 18 October 1907 [hereinafter – the Hague Regulations]. These regulations reflect customary international law. The military commander's authority is also anchored in IV Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War 1949.

The executive branch of the Israeli government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has defined the West Bank as "disputed" instead of "occupied" territory, whose status can only be determined through negotiations. The Ministry argues that the West Bank was not captured in war because it was not under the legitimatesovereigntyof any state prior to the Six-Day War (when it was occupied by Israel).

TheInternational Court of Justiceruling of 9 July 2004, however, found that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is territory held by Israel under military occupation, regardless of its status prior to it coming under Israeli occupation, and that the Fourth Geneva convention appliesde jure.The international community regards the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) as territories occupied by Israel.

International law (Article 49 of theFourth Geneva Convention) prohibits "transfers of the population of an occupying power to occupied territories", incurring a responsibility on the part of Israel's government to not settle Israeli citizens in the West Bank.

As of February 2020, 134 (69.4%) of the 193 member states of theUnited NationshaverecognisedtheState of Palestinewithin thePalestinian territories,which are recognized by Israel to constitute a single territorial unit,and of which the West Bank is the core of the would-be state.

City ofJericho,West Bank

Political status

Main article:Status of territories occupied by Israel in 1967

U.S. PresidentGeorge BushandMahmoud AbbasinRamallah,2008

The future status of the West Bank, together with theGaza Stripon the Mediterranean shore, has been the subject of negotiation between the Palestinians and Israelis, although the 2002Road Map for Peace,proposed by the "Quartet"comprising the United States, Russia, theEuropean Union,and the United Nations, envisions an independent Palestinian state in these territories living side by side withIsrael(see alsohistory of the State of Palestine). However, the "Road Map" states that in the first phase, Palestinians must end all attacks on Israel, whereas Israel must dismantle all outposts.

ThePalestinian Authoritybelieves that the West Bank ought to be a part of their sovereign nation, and that the presence of Israeli military control is a violation of their right to Palestinian Authority rule. The United Nations calls the West Bank and Gaza StripIsraeli-occupied territories.The United States State Department also refers to the territories asoccupied.

In 2005 the United States ambassador to Israel,Daniel C. Kurtzer,expressed U.S. support "for the retention by Israel of major Israeli population centres [in the West Bank] as an outcome of negotiations",reflectingPresident Bush's statement a year earlier that a permanent peace treaty would have to reflect "demographic realities" on the West Bank.In May 2011 US President Barack Obama officially stated US support for a future Palestinian state based on borders prior to the 1967 War, allowing for land swaps where they are mutually agreeable between the two sides. Obama was the first US president to formally support the policy, but he stated that it had been one long held by the US in its Middle East negotiations.

In December 2016,a resolutionwas adopted byUnited Nations Security Councilthat condemned Israel's settlement activity as a "flagrant violation" of international law with "no legal validity". It demands that Israel stop such activity and fulfill its obligations as an occupying power under theFourth Geneva Convention.The United States abstained from the vote.

In 2020, PresidentDonald Trumpunveiled apeace plan,radically different from previous peace plans. The plan failed to gain support.

West Bank was ranked 10th most electoraldemocracy in the Middle East and North Africaaccording toV-Dem Democracy indicesin 2024 with a score of 0.254 out of one.

Public opinion

Palestinian public opinion opposes Israeli military and settler presence on the West Bank as a violation of their right to statehood and sovereignty.Israeli opinion is split into a number of views:

• Complete or partial withdrawal from the West Bank in hopes of peaceful coexistence in separate states (sometimes called the "land for peace"position); (In a 2003 poll, 76% of Israelis supported a peace agreement based on that principle).
• Maintenance of a military presence in the West Bank to reducePalestinian terrorismby deterrence or by armed intervention, while relinquishing some degree of political control;
• Annexationof the West Bank while considering the Palestinian population with Palestinian Authority citizenship with Israeli residence permit as per theElon Peace Plan;
• Annexation of the West Bank and assimilation of the Palestinian population to fully fledged Israeli citizens;
• Transferof the East Jerusalem Palestinian population (a 2002 poll at the height of theAl-Aqsa Intifadafound 46% of Israelis favoring Palestinian transfer of Jerusalem residents).

Geography

View of theJudaean MountainsfromRamallah

The West Bank has an area of 5,628 or 5,640 square kilometres (2,173 or 2,178 square miles), which comprises 21.2% of former Mandatory Palestine (excluding Jordan)and has generally rugged mountainous terrain. The total length of the land boundaries of the region are 404 km (251 mi).The terrain is mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in the west, but somewhat barren in the east. The elevation span between the shoreline of the Dead Sea at −408 m to the highest point atMount Nabi Yunis,at 1,030 m (3,379 ft)above sea level.The West Bank is landlocked; its highlands are the main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers.

The West Bank has 220 km²(85 sq mi) of water area, consisting of the northwestern quarter of the Dead Sea.

There are few natural resources in the area except the highly arable land, which comprises 27% of the land area of the region. It is mostly used as permanent pastures (32% of arable land) and seasonal agricultural uses (40%).Forests and woodland comprise just 1%, with no permanent crops.

Climate

The climate in the West Bank is mostlyMediterranean,slightly cooler at elevated areas compared with the shoreline, west to the area. In the east, the West Bank includes theJudean Desertand the shoreline of the Dead Sea – both with dry and hot climate.

In the most highly elevated areas in the northwest, annual rainfall is more than 27 inches (685 mm). This declines in the southwest and southeast to less than 4 inches (100 mm). Hilly terrains are used for sheep grazing and cultivating olives, cereals and fruits. The Jordan River valley is also cultivated for various fruits and vegetables.

Political geography

Main article:West Bank Areas in the Oslo II Accord

Overview of administration and sovereignty inIsrael,thePalestinian territoriesand theGolan Heights

Area		Administered by	Recognition of governing authority	Sovereignty claimed by	Recognition of claim
Gaza Strip		Palestinian National Authority(de jure) Controlled byHamas(de facto)	Witnesses to theOslo II Accord	State of Palestine	145 UN member states
West Bank	Palestinian enclaves(Areas A and B)	Palestinian National AuthorityandIsraeli military
	Area C	Israeli enclave law(Israeli settlements) and Israeli military (Palestinians underIsraeli occupation)
	East Jerusalem	Israeli administration	Honduras,Guatemala,Nauru,and theUnited States		China,Russia
West Jerusalem			Russia,Czech Republic,Honduras, Guatemala, Nauru, and the United States	United Nationsas aninternational cityalong with East Jerusalem	Various UN member states and theEuropean Union;joint sovereigntyalso widely supported
Golan Heights			United States	Syria	All UN member states except the United States
Israel (Green Line border)			165 UN member states	Israel	165 UN member states

Palestinian enclaves

Main articles:Palestinian enclavesandPalestinian National Authority

A map of West Bank settlements and closures in January 2006: Yellow = Palestinian urban centers. Light pink = closed military areas or settlement boundary areas or areas isolated by theIsraeli West Bank barrier;dark pink = settlements, outposts or military bases. The black line = route of the Barrier

The 1993Oslo Accordsdeclared the final status of the West Bank to be subject to a forthcoming settlement betweenIsraeland the Palestinian leadership. Following these interim accords, Israel withdrew its military rule from some parts of the West Bank, which was divided into threeAreas:

Area	Security	Civil Admin	% of WB land	% of WB Palestinians
A	Palestinian	Palestinian	18%	55%
B	Israeli	Palestinian	21%	41%
C	Israeli	Israeli	61%	4%

Area A, 2.7%,full civil control of the Palestinian Authority, comprises Palestinian towns, and some rural areas away from Israeli settlements in the north (betweenJenin,Nablus,Tubas,andTulkarm), the south (aroundHebron), and one in the center south ofSalfit.Area B, 25.2%,adds other populated rural areas, many closer to the center of the West Bank. Area C contains all theIsraeli settlements(excluding settlements in East Jerusalem), roads used to access the settlements, buffer zones (near settlements, roads, strategic areas, and Israel), and almost all of theJordan Valleyand theJudean Desert.

Areas A and B are themselves divided among 227 separate areas (199 of which are smaller than 2 km²(1 sq mi)) that are separated from one another by Israeli-controlled Area C. Areas A, B, and C cross the 11governoratesused as administrative divisions by the Palestinian National Authority, Israel, and the IDF and named after major cities. The mainly open areas of Area C, which contains all of the basic resources of arable and building land, water springs, quarries and sites of touristic value needed to develop a viable Palestinian state,were to be handed over to the Palestinians by 1999 under the Oslo Accords as part of a final status agreement. This agreement was never achieved.

According toB'tselem,while the vast majority of the Palestinian population lives in areas A and B, the vacant land available for construction in dozens of villages and towns across the West Bank is situated on the margins of the communities and defined as area C.Less than 1% of area C is designated for use by Palestinians, who are also unable to legally build in their own existing villages in area C due to Israeli authorities' restrictions,

An assessment by the UNOffice for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairsin 2007 found that approximately 40% of the West Bank was taken up by Israeli infrastructure. The infrastructure, consisting of settlements, thebarrier,military bases and closed military areas, Israeli declared nature reserves and the roads that accompany them is off-limits or tightly controlled to Palestinians.

In June 2011, the Independent Commission for Human Rights published a report that found that Palestinians in the West Bank and theGaza Stripwere subjected in 2010 to an "almost systematic campaign" of human rights abuse by thePalestinian AuthorityandHamas,as well as byIsraeliauthorities, with the security forces of the PA and Hamas being responsible for torture, arrests and arbitrary detentions.

Area annexed by Israel

Main article:East Jerusalem

Greater Jerusalem,May 2006.CIAremote sensingmap showing areas considered settlements, plus refugee camps, fences, walls, etc.

Through theJerusalem Law,Israel extended its administrative control overEast Jerusalem.This has often been interpreted as tantamount to an official annexation, thoughIan Lustick,in reviewing the legal status of Israeli measures, has argued that no such annexation ever took place. The Palestinian residents have legalpermanent residencystatus.Rejecting the Jerusalem Law, the UN Security Council passedUN Security Council Resolution 478,declaring that the law was "null and void". Although permanent residents are permitted, if they wish, to receive Israeli citizenship if they meet certain conditions including swearing allegiance to the State and renouncing any other citizenship, most Palestinians did not apply for Israeli citizenship for political reasons.There are various possible reasons as to why the West Bank had not been annexed to Israel after itscapture in 1967.The government of Israel has not formally confirmed an official reason; however, historians and analysts have established a variety of such, most of them demographic. Among those most commonly cited have been:

• Reluctance to award its citizenship to an overwhelming number of a potentially hostile population whose allies were sworn to the destruction of Israel.
• To ultimately exchangeland for peacewith neighbouring states
• Fear that the population of ethnic Arabs, including Israeli citizens of Palestinian ethnicity, would outnumber the Jewish Israelis west of the Jordan River.
• The disputed legality ofannexationunder theFourth Geneva Convention

The importance of demographic concerns to some significant figures in Israel's leadership was illustrated whenAvraham Burg,a former Knesset Speaker and former chair of the Jewish Agency for Israel, wrote inThe Guardianin September 2003,

"Between the Jordan and the Mediterranean there is no longer a clear Jewish majority. And so, fellow citizens, it is not possible to keep the whole thing without paying a price. We cannot keep a Palestinian majority under an Israeli boot and at the same time think ourselves the only democracy in the Middle East. There cannot be democracy without equal rights for all who live here, Arab as well as Jew. We cannot keep the territories and preserve a Jewish majority in the world's only Jewish state – not by means that are humane and moral and Jewish."

Area C and Israeli settlements

Main articles:Area C (West Bank)andInternational law and Israeli settlements

Map ofIsraeli settlementsandArea C(magenta and blue), 2020

As of 2022, there are over 450,000Israeli settlersliving in 132Israeli settlementsin the West Bank excluding East Jerusalem, with an additional 220,000 Jewish settlers residing in 12 settlements inEast Jerusalem.In addition, there are over 140Israeli outpostsin the West Bank that are not recognized and are therefore illegal even under Israeli law, but which have nevertheless been provided with infrastructure, water, sewage, and other services by the authorities. They are colloquially known as "illegal outposts."

As a result ofthe application of Israeli law in the settlements ( "Enclave law" ),large portions of Israelicivil laware applied to Israeli settlements and to Israelis living in theIsraeli-occupied territories.

The international consensus is that all Israeli settlements on the West Bank are illegal under international law.In particular, theEuropean Unionas a wholeconsiders all settlements to be illegal. Significant portions of the Israeli public similarly oppose the continuing presence of Jewish Israelis in the West Bank and have supported the 2005 settlement relocation.The majority of legal scholars also hold the settlements to violate international law,however individuals includingJulius Stone,andEugene Rostowhave argued that they are legal under international law.

Immediately after the 1967 war,Theodor Meron,legal counselor of Israel's Foreign Ministry, advised Israeli ministers in a "top secret" memo that any policy of building settlements across occupied territories violated international law and would "contravene the explicit provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention".Fifty years later, citing decades of legal scholarship on the subject, Meron reiterated his legal opinion regarding the illegality of Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories.

The UN Security Council has issued several non-binding resolutions addressing the issue of the settlements. Typical of these is UN Security Council resolution 446 which states that the "practices of Israel in establishing settlements in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967 have no legal validity", and it calls on Israel "as the occupying Power, to abide scrupulously by the1949 Fourth Geneva Convention".

The Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention held in Geneva on 5 December 2001 called upon "the Occupying Power to fully and effectively respect the Fourth Geneva Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and to refrain from perpetrating any violation of the Convention." The High Contracting Parties reaffirmed "the illegality of the settlements in the said territories and of the extension thereof."

On 30 December 2007,Israeli Prime MinisterEhud Olmertissued an order requiring approval by both the Israeli Prime Minister and Israeli Defense Minister of all settlement activities (including planning) in the West Bank.The change had little effect with settlements continuing to expand, and new ones being established. On 31 August 2014, Israel announced it was appropriating 400 hectares of land in the West Bank to eventually house 1,000 Israel families. The appropriation was described as the largest in more than 30 years.According to reports on Israel Radio, the development is a response to the2014 kidnapping and murder of Israeli teenagers.

Palestinian outposts

A Palestinian demonstration against the demolition of the villageSusya

TheHaaretznewspaper published an article in December 2005 about demolition of "Palestinian outposts" inBil'in.The demolitions sparked a political debate as according toPeaceNowit was a double standard ( "After what happened today in Bil'in, there is no reason that the state should defend its decision to continue the construction" credited toMichael Sfard).

In January 2012, the European Union approved the "Area C and Palestinian state building" report. The report said Palestinian presence in Area C has been continuously undermined by Israel and that state building efforts in Area C of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the EU were of "utmost importance in order to support the creation of a contiguous and viable Palestinian state". The EU will support various projects to "support the Palestinian people and help maintain their presence".

In May 2012, a petitionwas filed to theIsraeli Supreme Courtabout the legality of more 15Palestinian outposts and Palestinian building in "Area C". The cases were filed byRegavim.

The petition was one of 30 different petitions with the common ground of illegal land takeover and illegal construction and use of natural resources. Some of the petitions (27) had been set for trialsand the majority received a verdict.

Ynet Newsstated on 11 January 2013 that a group of 200 Palestinians with unknown number of foreign activists created an outpost namedBab al-Shams( "Gate of the Sun" ), contains 50 tents

Ynet Newsstated on 18 January 2013 that Palestinian activists built an outpost on a disputed area inBeit Iksa,where Israel plans to construct part of the separation fence in the Jerusalem vicinity while the Palestinians claim that the area belongs to the residents of Beit Iksa. namedBab al-Krama

West Bank barrier

Main article:Israeli West Bank barrier

West Bank barrier( "Separation Wall" )

QalandiyaCheckpoint betweenRamallahandJerusalem

TheIsraeli West Bank barrieris a physicalbarrierordered for construction by the Israeli Government, consisting of a network of fences with vehicle-barrier trenches. Israel began building the barrier on 23 June 2002,two years into theSecond Intifada.It is surrounded by an on average 60 m (197 ft) wide exclusion area (90%) and up to 8 m (26 ft) high concrete walls (10%), although in most areas the wall is not nearly that high.It is located mainly within the West Bank, partly along the1949 Armistice line,or "Green Line"between the West Bank and Israel. The length of the barrier as approved by the Israeli government is 708 km (440 mi) long.As of 2020, approximately 454 km (282 mi) have been constructed (64%).The space between the barrier and the green line is a closed military zone known as theSeam Zone,cutting off 9% of the West Bank and encompassing dozens of villages and tens of thousands of Palestinians.

The barrier generally runs along or near the 1949 Jordanian-Israeli armistice/Green Line, but diverges in many places to include on the Israeli side several of the highly populated areas of Jewish settlements in the West Bank such asEast Jerusalem,Ariel,Gush Etzion,Immanuel,Karnei Shomron,Givat Ze'ev,Oranit,andMaale Adumim.

Supporters of the barrier stated it was necessary for protecting Israeli civilians from Palestinian attacks, which increased significantly during theAl-Aqsa Intifada;it has helped reduce incidents of terrorism by 90% from 2002 to 2005; over a 96% reduction in terror attacks in the six years ending in 2007,though Israel's State Comptroller has acknowledged that most of the suicide bombers crossed into Israel through existing checkpoints.Its supporters state that theonusis now on the Palestinian Authority to fight terrorism.

Opponents state the barrier is an illegal attempt to annex Palestinian land under the guise of security,violates international law,has the intent or effect to pre-empt final status negotiations,and severely restricts Palestinian livelihoods, particularly limiting their freedom of movement within and from the West Bank thereby undermining their economy.

Palestinian governorates

Main article:Governorates of Palestine

Northern Governorates

After the signing of theOslo Accords,the West Bank was divided into 11governoratesunder the jurisdiction of thePalestinian National Authority.Since 2007 there are two governments claiming to be the legitimate government of the Palestinian National Authority, one based in the West Bank and one based in the Gaza Strip.

Governorate	Population	Area (km2)
Jenin Governorate	311,231	583
Tubas Governorate	64,719	372
Tulkarm Governorate	182,053	239
Nablus Governorate	380,961	592
Qalqilya Governorate	110,800	164
Salfit Governorate	70,727	191
Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate	348,110	844
Jericho Governorate	52,154	608
Jerusalem Governorate (including Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem with Israeli citizenship)	419,108	344
Bethlehem Governorate	216,114	644
Hebron Governorate	706,508	1,060
Total	2,862,485	5,671

Israeli administrative districts

See also:Judea and Samaria Area

The West Bank is further divided into 8 administrative regions: Menashe (Jeninarea), HaBik'a (Jordan Valley),Shomron(Shechemarea, known in Arabic asNablus), Efrayim (Tulkarmarea), Binyamin (Ramallah/al-Bireharea), Maccabim (Maccabimarea),Etzion(Bethlehemarea) andYehuda(Hebronarea).

Crossing points to Jordan and Egypt

Allenby Bridge,or 'King Hussein Bridge', is the main port for the Palestinian in the West Bank to cross the Jordanian borders. This crossing point is controlled by Israel since 1967. It was inaugurated on 11 December 2011 under the military order "175" entitled 'An order concerning transition station'. Later, Order '446' was issued which annexed theDamia Bridgecrossing point to the Allenby Bridge as a commercial crossing point only. Goods were exported to Jordan, while the import was banned for security purposes.

In 1993, the Palestinian National Authority, according to Oslo Accord assigned by PLO and the Israeli government, became a partial supervisor over theRafah Border Crossingto Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority was responsible for issuing passports to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel remained the major responsible party for this crossing point. According to the agreement, Israel has the right to independently inspect luggage and to maintain security. In addition, it can prevent anyone from using the crossing.

Economy

Main article:Economy of the Palestinian territories

As of the early-21st century, the economy of the Palestinian territories is chronically depressed, withunemploymentrates constantly over 20% since 2000. The unemployment rate was 19% in the West Bank in first half of 2013.

Consequences of occupation

Economic consequences

According to a 2013 World Bank report, Israeli restrictions hinder Palestinian economic development in Area C of the West Bank.A 2013World Bankreport calculates that, if theInterim Agreementwas respected and restrictions lifted, a few key industries alone would produce US$2.2 billion per annum more (or 23% of 2011 Palestinian GDP) and reduce by some US$800 million (50%) the Palestinian Authority's deficit; the employment would increase by 35%.

Water supply

Main article:Water supply and sanitation in the State of Palestine

Amnesty International has criticized the way that the Israeli state is dealing with the regional water resources:

Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) do not have access to adequate, safe water supplies... Discriminatory Israeli policies in the OPT are the root cause of the striking disparity in access to water between Palestinians and Israelis... The inequality is even more pronounced between Palestinian communities and unlawful Israeli settlements, established in the OPT in violation of international law. Swimming pools, well-watered lawns and large irrigated farms in Israeli settlements in the OPT stand in stark contrast next to Palestinian villages whose inhabitants struggle even to meet their essential domestic water needs. In parts of the West Bank, Israeli settlers use up to 20 times more water per capita than neighbouring Palestinian communities, who survive on barely 20 litres of water per capita a day—the minimum amount recommended by the WHO for emergency situations response.

Israeli settlers in the West Bank have seized dozens ofwellsfrom Palestinians. The wells are privately owned by Palestinians and the settlers forcibly took them, gave them Hebrew names and, with the assistance of the Israeli military, prevent Arab people, including the wells' owners, from using the wells and the pools the wells feed.

Israeli garbage disposal

Israel ratified the internationalBasel Conventiontreaty on Israel on 14 December 1994, according to which, any transfer of waste must be performed with an awareness of the dangers posed to the disempowered occupied people. It forbids the creation among them of "environmentalsacrifice zones."Israel, it is argued, uses the West Bank as a "sacrifice" zone by placing 15 waste treatment plants, which are there under less stringent rules that those required in Israel because a different legal systemhas been organized regarding hazardous materials that can be noxious to local people and the environment. The military authorities do not make public the details of these operations. These materials include sewage sludge, infectious medical waste, used oils, solvents, metals,electronic wasteand batteries.

In 2007 it was estimated that 38% (35 mcm a year) of all wastewater flowing into the West Bank derived from settlements and Jerusalem.Of the 121 settlements surveyed, 81 had wastewater treatment plant, much of it inadequate or subject to breakdown, with much sewage flowing into lowland streams and terrain where Palestinian villages are located. Only 4 of 53 indictments for waste pollution were made over the years from 2000 to 2008,whereas in Israel the laws are strictly applied and, in 2006 alone, 230 enforcements for the same abuse were enforced.At the same time 90–95% of Palestinian wastewater was not treated, with only 1 of 4 Israeli plants built in the 1970s to that purpose functioning, and the neglect to improve the infrastructure is attributed to Israeli budgetary problems.

After the Oslo Accords, the global community earmarked $250,000,000 for West Bank wastewater infrastructure. Israel at times insisted its approval was conditional on linking the grid to Israeli settlements, which neither the donors nor Palestinians accepted. Most of the infrastructure was subsequently destroyed by IDF military operations.The PA raised funds from Germany for 15 plants, but only managed to build one, atal-Bireh,within Area B, though even there Israel insisted the plant process waste from the settlement ofPsagot,though refusing to pay fees for the treatment.Palestinian townSalfithas been deeply affected by sewage overflow channelled past the town from the settlement of Ariel.

Unlike the data available for sewage treatment within Israel, the Israeli Water Commission refuses to provide public reports on 15 million cubic metres of sewage flowing from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It claims 75% is treated adequately but independent Israeli studies (2000) suggest that only 6% met Israeli treatment standards, while 48% was either not treated adequastely or discharged raw. Since then some improvements have been implemented.

The landfill nearAl-Jiftlikin theJericho Governorate,built onabsentee Palestinian propertywithout planning or an environment impact analysis, is for the exclusive use of waste, 1,000 tons per day, produced by Israeli settlements and cities within Israel.Palestinians are restricted to 3 landfills, and permits for more have been denied unless the sites can be used to dump settlement garbage. Even if a permit is given without this agreement, settler waste under military escort is still dumped there.

Israel has been accused of engaging in 'warfare ecology' in the West Bank.In response tolocal oppositionin Israel to waste treatment plants and the high cost of meeting stringent environment laws in that country. It has been argued that Israel had used the area of the West Bank as a 'sacrifice zone' where its waste can be dumped. "

Manywaste treatmentfacilities in the West Bank were built for processing waste generated inside Israeli sovereign territory, according toB'Tselem,Israel's leadinghuman rights organizationfor monitoring the West Bank.

The Israel government requires no reporting by these West Bank facilities of the amount of waste they process or the risks they pose to the local population, and applies less rigorous regulatory standards to these facilities than it does tosolid wastetreatment facilities in Israel.B'Tselem has said that "any transfer of waste to the West Bank is a breach ofinternational lawwhich Israel is dutybound to uphold "because according to international law" an occupied territory or its resources may not be used for the benefit of theoccupying power's own needs. "Experts have also warned that some of these facilities are garbage dumps that endanger the purity of the mountainaquifer,which is one of the largest sources of water in the region.

Palestinian water and sewage

Main article:Water supply and sanitation in the State of Palestine

In 1995, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) was established by a presidential decree. One year later, its functions, objectives and responsibilities were defined through a by-law, giving the PWA the mandate to manage water resources and execute the water policy.

About 90% of the Palestinians in the Territories had access toimproved sanitationin 2008.Cesspitswere used by 39% of households, while access to the sewer network increased to 55% in 2011, up from 39% in 1999.In the West Bank, only 13,000 out of 85,000 m³of wastewater were treated in five municipal wastewater treatment plants inHebron,Jenin,Ramallah,TulkaremandAl-Bireh.The Al Bireh plant was constructed in 2000 with funding by theGermanaid agencyKfW.According to the World Bank report, the other four plants perform poorly concerning efficiency and quality.

Resource extraction

Based on the number of quarries per km²in Areas A and B, it is calculated that, were Israel to lift restrictions, a further 275 quarries could be opened in Area C. The World Bank estimates that Israel's virtual ban on issuing Palestinians permits for quarries there costs the Palestinian economy at least US$241 million per year. In international law drawing on theHague Conventions(Article 55), it is established that an occupying power may reap some value from the resources of the country occupied but not deplete its assets, and that theusufructmust benefit the people under occupation. The Oslo Accords agreed to hand over mining rights to the Palestinian Authority. Israel licenses eleven settlement quarries in the West Bank and they sell 94% of their material to Israel, which arguably constitutes "depletion" and pays royalties to its West Bank military government and settlement municipalities.

Thus the Germancement firm quarrying at Nahal Rabapaid out €430,000 ($479,000) in taxes to theSamaria Regional Councilin 2014 alone.The Israeli High Court rejected a petition that such quarrying was a violation by stating that after four decades Israeli law must adapt to "the realities on the ground". The state did undertake not to open more quarries.

A Human Rights Watch report contrasts the difference between a Palestinian-owned quarry company inBeit Fajarand that of a European one working on what Israeli considers its state land. The European company obtained a concession and license to harvest stone, whereas Israel refuses permits for most of the roughly 40 Beit Fajar quarries, or nearly any other Palestinian-owned quarry in the West Bank under Israeli administration.

Israel had denied Palestinians permits to process minerals in that area of the West Bank.The products of the Israeli cosmetics firmAhava,established in 1988, were developed in laboratories at the West BankDead Seasettlements ofMitzpe ShalemandKalya.60% of their production is sold in the EU market.In 2018 The UN, stating that the violations were both "pervasive and devastating" to the local Palestinian population, identified some 206 companies which do business with Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Roughly 73 percent of globalbromineproduction comes from Israeli and Jordanian exploitation of the Dead Sea. The potential incremental value that could accrue to the Palestinian economy from the production and sales ofpotash,bromine and magnesium has been conservatively estimated at US$918 million per annum, or 9 percent of GDP.The lost earnings from not being allowed to process Dead Sea minerals such as potash, and for making bromide-based flame retardants, based on calculations of comparable use by Israel and Jordan, suggest a figure of $642 million.

Loss of cultural property

Albert Glock argued that Israel is responsible for the disappearance of significant parts of the Palestinian cultural patrimony, by confiscating Arab cultural resources. In 1967 it appropriated the Palestine Archaeological Museumand its library in East Jerusalem.Often these losses are personal, as when homes are ransacked and looted of their valuables. The journalist Hamdi Faraj, jailed for endangering public order, had his 500-volume library confiscated, including copies of the Bible and Qur'an and, when he applied for their restitution, was told all the books had been accidentally burnt. The Israeli occupation has wrought a profound change in Palestinian identity, which clings to a sense of a "paradise lost" before the changes brought out by the 1967 conquest.

Tourism

Main article:Tourism in the State of Palestine

The Palestinian territories contain several of the most significant sites for Muslims, Christians and Jews, and are endowed with a world-class heritage highly attractive to tourists and pilgrims.The West Bank Palestinians themselves have difficulties in accessing the territory for recreation.

Based on 1967 figures, the PalestinianDead SeaCoastline is roughly 40 km in length, of which 15% (6 kilometres) could lend itself to the same tourist infrastructure developed by Jordan and Israel in their respective areas. Were Israel to permit a parallel development of this Palestinian sector, the World Bank estimates that 2,900 jobs would be added, allowing the Palestinian economy a potential value-added input of something like $126 million annually.It is also the only maritime recreational outlet for West Bankers, but according to anAcricomplaint to the Israeli Supreme Court in 2008 Palestinians are often barred or turned away from the beaches at their only access point, theBeit Ha'arava checkpointonRoute 90.Acri claimed the ban responds to fears by settlers who operate tourist concessions in this West Bank area that they will lose Jewish customers if there are too many West Bank Palestinians on the beaches.

The key Palestinian towns in the West Bank for tourism are East Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho. All access points are controlled by Israel and the road system, checkpoints and obstacles in place for visitors desiring to visit Palestinian towns leaves their hotels half-empty.From 92 to 94 cents in every dollar of the tourist trade goes to Israel.The general itineraries under Israeli management focus predominantly on Jewish history. Obstacles placed in the way of Palestinian-managed tourism down to 1995 included withholding licenses from tour guides, and hotels, for construction or renovation, and control of airports and highways, enabling Israel to develop a virtual monopoly on tourism.

Demographics

Main article:Demographics of the State of Palestine

Palestinian girl inNablus

In December 2007, an official census conducted by the Palestinian Authority found that thePalestinian Arabpopulation of the West Bank, includingEast Jerusalem,was 2,345,000.However, theWorld Bankand American-Israeli Demographic Research Group identified a 32% discrepancy between first-grade enrollment statistics documented by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)' 2007 projections,with questions also raised about the PCBS' growth assumptions for the period 1997–2003.TheIsraeli Civil Administrationput the number of Palestinians in the West Bank at 2,657,029 as of May 2012.

Jewish children inTal Menashe.

In 2014, there were 389,250Israeli settlersliving in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem,as well as around 375,000 living in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem. There are also small ethnic groups, such as theSamaritansliving in and aroundNablus,numbering in the hundreds.

As of October 2007, around 23,000 Palestinians in the West Bank worked in Israel every day, while another 9,200 worked in Israeli settlements. In addition, around 10,000 Palestinian traders from the West Bank were allowed to travel every day into Israel.By 2014, 92,000 Palestinians worked in Israel legally or illegally, twice as many as in 2010.

In 2008, approximately 30% of Palestinians or 754,263 persons living in the West Bank wererefugeesor descendants of refugees from villages and towns located in what became Israel during the1948 Arab–Israeli War,according toUNRWAstatistics.A 2011 EU report titled "Area C and Palestinian State Building" reported that before the Israeli occupation in 1967, between 200,000 and 320,000 Palestinians used to live in the Jordan Valley, 90% which is in Area C, but demolition of Palestinian homes and prevention of new buildings has seen the number drop to 56,000, 70% of which live in Area A, in Jericho.In a similar period, the Jewish population in Area C has grown from 1,200 to 310,000.

Major population centers

Settlement ofAriel

Residential neighborhood ofRamallah

Significant population centers

Center	Population
East Jerusalem	542,400
Hebron(al-Khalil)	163,146
Nablus	136,132
Jenin	90,004
Tulkarm	51,300
Yattah	48,672
Modi'in Illit	48,600
Qalqilyah	41,739
Al-Bireh	38,202
Beitar Illit	37,600
Ma'ale Adummim	33,259
Ramallah	27,460
Bethlehem	25,266
Jericho	18,346
Ariel	17,700

The most densely populated part of the region is a mountainous spine, running north–south, where the cities ofJerusalem,Nablus,Ramallah,al-Bireh,Jenin,Bethlehem,HebronandYattahare located as well as theIsraeli settlementsofAriel,Ma'ale AdumimandBeitar Illit.Ramallah, although relatively mid in population compared to other major cities asHebron,NablusandJenin,serves as an economic and political center for the Palestinians. Near Ramallah the new city ofRawabiis under construction.Jeninin the extreme north and is the capital of north of the West Bank and is on the southern edge of theJezreel Valley.Modi'in Illit,QalqilyahandTulkarmare in the low foothills adjacent to theIsraeli Coastal Plain,andJerichoandTubasare situated in theJordan Valley,north of theDead Sea.

Religion

Main article:Palestinians § Religion

The population of the West Bank is 80–85% Muslim (mostly Sunni) and 12–14% Jewish. The remainder are Christian (mostly Greek Orthodox) and others.

Transportation and communications

Road system

A road in the West Bank

Main article:Palestinian freedom of movement § Restriction of movement in the West Bank

In 2010, the West Bank and Gaza Strip together had 4,686 km (2,912 mi) of roadways.

It has been said that for "Jewish settlers, roadsconnect;for Palestinians, theyseparate."Between 1994 and 1997, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) built 290 km (180 mi) of bypass roads in the territories, on appropriated land because they ran close to Palestinian villages.The given aim was said to be to afford protection to settlers from Palestinian sniping, bombing, and drive-by shootings.ForTAUemeritus professor of geography Elisha Efrat, they ignored the historical topography, road systems and environmental characteristics of the West Bank, and simply formed an apartheid network of "octopus arms which hold a grip on Palestinian population centres".

A large number of embankments, concrete slabs and barriers impeded movement on primary and secondary roads. The result was tocantonizeand fragment Palestinian townships, and cause endless obstacles to Palestinians going to work, schools, markets and relatives.Ramallah was cut off from all of its feeder villages in 2000.

Though prohibited by law, confiscation of Palestinian identity cards at checkpoints is a daily occurrence. At best drivers must wait for several hours for them to be returned, when, as can happen, the IDs themselves are lost as soldiers change shifts, in which case Palestinians are directed to some regional office the next day, and more checkpoints to get there.Even before the Al Aqsa Intifada,UNFPAestimated that 20% of pregnant West Bank women were unable to accessprenatal carebecause of the difficulties and delays caused by crossing checkpoints, and dozens were forced to deliver their children on the roadside.

Constant uncertainty and the inability to plan are the results for Palestinians of the Israeli military rules governing their movements. TheWorld Banknoted that additional costs arising from longer travelling caused by restrictions on movement through three major routes in the West Bank alone ran to (2013) USD 185 million a year, adding that other, earlier calculations (2007) suggest restrictions on the Palestinian labour market cost the West Bank approximately US$229 million per annum. It concluded that such imposed restrictions had a major negative impact on the local economy, hindering stability and growth.In 2007, official Israeli statistics indicated that there were 180,000 Palestinians on Israel's secret travel ban list. 561 roadblocks and checkpoints were in place (October), the number of Palestinians licensed to drive private cars was 46,166 and the annual cost of permits was $454.

These checkpoints, together with the separation wall and the restricted networks restructure the West Bank into "land cells", freezing the flow of normal everyday Palestinian lives.Israel sets upflying checkpointswithout notice. In 2017, 2,941 flying checkpoints were set up along West Bank roads, around 327 a month. There were 476 unstaffed physical obstacles, (dirt mounds, concrete blocks, gates and fenced sections) on roads. Of the gates erected at village entrances, 59 were always closed.

The checkpoint system did not ease up after the Oslo Accords, but was strengthened after them, which has been interpreted as suggesting their function is to assert control over Palestinians, and as a sign of an unwillingness to yield ground in the West Bank.According toPA Health Ministry statisticsrelating to the period from 2000 to 2006, of 68 Palestinian women who gave birth to their children while held up at checkpoints, 35 miscarried and 5 died while delivering their child there.Machsom Watchaccumulated over a mere five years (2001–2006) some 10,000 eyewitness reports and testimonies regarding the difficulties faced by Palestinians trying to negotiate West Bank checkpoints.

Transportation infrastructure is particularly problematic as Palestinian use of roads in Area C is highly restricted, and travel times can be inordinate; the Palestinian Authority has also been unable to develop roads, airports or railways in or through Area C,while many other roads were restricted only to public transportation and to Palestinians who have special permits from Israeli authorities.

At certain times, Israel maintained more than 600 checkpoints or roadblocks in the region. Movement restrictions on main roads between cities were still (as of 2005) blamed for poverty and economic depression in the West Bank.Underpasses and bridges, 28 of which have been constructed and 16 of which are planned, link Palestinian areas separated from each other by Israeli settlements and bypass roads "

A checkpoint before enteringJericho,2005

Israeli restrictions were tightened in 2007.

Route 4370,which has a concrete wall dividing the two sides, one designated for Israeli vehicles, the other for Palestinian. The wall is designed to allow Palestinians to pass north–south through Israeli-held land and facilitate the building of additional Jewish settlements in the Jerusalem neighborhood.

Rail

As of February 2012,a plan for 475-kilometer rail network, establishing 11 new rail lines in West Bank, was confirmed by Israeli Transportation Ministry. The West Bank network would include one line running through Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Ma'aleh Adumim, Bethlehem and Hebron. Another would provide service along the Jordanian border from Eilat to the Dead Sea, Jericho and Beit She'an and from there toward Haifa in the west and in also in a northeasterly direction. The proposed scheme also calls for shorter routes, such as between Nablus and Tul Karm in the West Bank, and from Ramallah to the Allenby Bridge crossing into Jordan.

Airports

The only airport in the West Bank is theAtarot AirportnearRamallah,but it has been closed since 2001.

Telecom

Main article:Communications in the State of Palestine

The PalestinianPalteltelecommunication companies provide communication services such aslandline,cellular networkand Internet in the West Bank andGaza Strip.Dialling code+970is used in the West Bank and all over the Palestinian territories. Until 2007, the Palestinian mobile market was monopolized byJawwal.A newmobile operatorfor the territories launched in 2009 under the name ofWataniya Telecom.The number of Internet users increased from 35,000 in 2000 to 356,000 in 2010.

Radio and television

ThePalestinian Broadcasting Corporationbroadcasts from an AM station in Ramallah on 675 kHz; numerous local privately owned stations are also in operation. Most Palestinian households have a radio and TV, and satellite dishes for receiving international coverage are widespread. Recently, PalTel announced and has begun implementing an initiative to provide ADSL broadband internet service to all households and businesses.

Israel's cable television companyHOT,satellite television provider (DBS)Yes,AM and FM radio broadcast stations and public television broadcast stations all operate. Broadband internet service by Bezeq's ADSL and by the cable company is available as well. The Al-Aqsa Voice broadcasts from Dabas Mall inTulkaremat 106.7 FM. TheAl-Aqsa TVstation shares these offices.

Education

Palestinian students atBirzeit Universityin 2016

Seven universities are operating in the West Bank:

• Bethlehem University,aRoman Catholicinstitution of theLasalliantradition partially funded by theVatican,opened its doors in 1973.
• In 1975, Birzeit College (located in the town ofBir Zeitnorth ofRamallah) becameBirzeit Universityafter adding third- and fourth-year college-level programs.
• An-Najah College inNabluslikewise becameAn-Najah National Universityin 1977.
• Hebron Universitywas established as College of Shari'a in 1971 and became Hebron University in 1980.
• Al-Quds Universitywas founded in 1995, unifying several colleges and faculties in and around East Jerusalem.
• In 2000, theArab American University– the only private university in the West Bank – was founded outside ofZababdeh,with the purpose of providing courses according to theAmerican system of education.
• Ariel Universityis located in theIsraeli settlementofArieland was granted full university status on 17 July 2012.It was established in 1982.

Most universities in the West Bank have politically active student bodies, and elections of student council officers are normally along party affiliations. Although the establishment of the universities was initially allowed by the Israeli authorities, some were sporadically ordered closed by the Israeli Civil Administration during the 1970s and 1980s to prevent political activities and violence against theIDF.Some universities remained closed by military order for extended periods during years immediately preceding and following the first Palestinian Intifada, but have largely remained open since the signing of the Oslo Accords despite the advent of the Al-Aqsa Intifada (Second Intifada) in 2000.

The founding of Palestinian universities has greatly increased education levels among the population in the West Bank. According to a Birzeit University study, the percentage of Palestinians choosing local universities as opposed to foreign institutions has been steadily increasing; as of 1997, 41% of Palestinians with bachelor's degrees had obtained them from Palestinian institutions.According to UNESCO, Palestinians are one of the most highly educated groups in the Middle East "despite often difficult circumstances".The literacy rate among Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip according to thePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics(PCBS) is 94.6% for 2009.

See also

• West Bank closures

References

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Further reading

• Albin, Cecilia (2001).Justice and Fairness in International Negotiation.Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-79725-2
• Bamberger, David (1985, 1994).A Young Person's History of Israel.Behrman House.ISBN978-0-87441-393-9
• Dowty, Alan(2001).The Jewish State: A Century Later.University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-22911-2
• Eldar, AkivaandZertal, Idith(2007).Lords of the land: the war over Israel's settlements in the occupied territories, 1967–2007,Nation Books.ISBN978-1-56858-414-0
• Gibney, Mark and Frankowski, Stanislaw (1999).Judicial Protection of Human Rights.Praeger/Greenwood.ISBN978-0-275-96011-7
• Gordon, Neve(2008).Israel's Occupation.University of California Press, Berkeley CA,ISBN978-0-520-25531-9
• Gorenberg, Gershom.The Accidental Empire.Times Books, Henry Holt and Company.ISBN978-0-8050-8241-8.2006.
• Howell, Mark (2007).What Did We Do to Deserve This? Palestinian Life under Occupation in the West Bank,Garnet Publishing.ISBN978-1-85964-195-8
• Oren, Michael(2002).Six Days of War,Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-515174-9
• Playfair, Emma (Ed.) (1992).International Law and the Administration of Occupied Territories.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-825297-9
• Shlaim, Avi(2000).The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World,W. W. Norton & Company.ISBN978-0-393-04816-2

External links

• Statistical Atlas of Palestine–Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
• Global Integrity Report: West Bankhas governance and anti-corruption profile.
• West BankArchived22 July 2021 at theWayback Machine.The World Factbook.Central Intelligence Agency.
• Palestinian TerritoriesArchived20 May 2021 at theWayback Machineat theUnited States Department of State
• PalestinefromUCB Libraries GovPubs
• Palestine Facts & Infofrom Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs
• United Nations – Question of PalestineArchived3 March 2019 at theWayback Machine
• Disputed Territories: Forgotten Facts about the West Bank and Gaza Strip– from Israeli government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• West BankatCurlie
• Large map of West Bank (2008) – C.I.A./Univ. of Texas, AustinArchived9 May 2009 at theWayback Machine
• Large map of West Bank (1992)Archived22 December 2005 at theWayback Machine
• A series of geopolitical maps of the West BankArchived21 August 2006 at theWayback Machine
• 1988 "Address to the Nation" by King Hussein of Jordan Ceding Jordanian Claims to the West Bank to the PLOArchived22 July 2019 at theWayback Machine
• Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association – establishing links between the North London Borough of Camden and the town of Abu Dis in the West Bank
• Map of Palestinian Refugee Camps 1993 (UNRWA/C.I.A./Univ. of Texas, Austin)Archived4 June 2009 at theWayback Machine
• Map of Israel 2008 (C.I.A./Univ. of Texas, Austin)Archived9 May 2009 at theWayback Machine
• Map of Israeli Settlements in the West Bank Dec. 1993 (C.I.A./Univ. of Texas, Austin)Archived4 June 2009 at theWayback Machine
• Map of Israeli Settlements in the Gaza Strip Dec. 1993 (C.I.A./Univ. of Texas, Austin)Archived4 June 2009 at theWayback Machine
• Israeli Settlements interactive map and Israeli land useArchived14 March 2016 at theWayback MachinefromThe Guardian
• West Bank access restrictions map (highly detailed), by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian AffairsArchived3 December 2013 at theWayback Machine
• Squeeze them out; As Jewish settlements expand, the Palestinians are being driven awayArchived18 June 2017 at theWayback Machine4 May 2013The Economist