Hailey Johnson
The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are two Palestinian territories that have been at the centre of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for over a hundred years. The West Bank is the larger territory, located on the western bank of the Jordan River, and the Gaza Strip is an area of roughly 600 square miles with 400,000 inhabitants. Both territories were occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967 and have since been under Israeli military occupation and control. The Palestinians consider these territories the heart of their envisioned state, while right-wing and ideological Israelis see them as their ancestral homeland. The conflict has led to constant tension and violence, with Israel imposing restrictions and blockades on the territories, and Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas launching attacks on Israel.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Palestinian refugees in East Jerusalem | 360,000 |
| Population of Gaza | 400,000 |
| Population of West Bank | 700,000 |
| Total population of Gaza and West Bank | 5,500,000 |
| Total roadway length in 2010 | 4,686 km |
| Number of Israeli settlements in Area C | 230 |
| Number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank | 670,000 |
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What You'll Learn
- The West Bank and Gaza Strip are two Palestinian territories
- Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza since 1967
- Palestinians face restrictions and military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza
- The West Bank and Gaza are governed by a complex mix of authorities
- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has resulted in violence and displacement
The West Bank and Gaza Strip are two Palestinian territories
The West Bank is the larger of the two territories by land mass, covering 2,270 square miles, with a population of 700,000. It is rich in agricultural resources. The Gaza Strip, on the other hand, covers an area of roughly 600 square miles and is home to 400,000 people. Both territories have a combined population of over 5 million Palestinians.
The two territories have been at the centre of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians consider them the heart of their envisioned state, while right-wing and ideological Israelis see them as their ancestral homeland. The West Bank and Gaza Strip have been under Israeli occupation since 1967, which is considered illegal under international law. Israel has constructed large settlements in these areas, housing more than 670,000 Israeli settlers.
The governance of the two territories is complex and divided among three entities: the Palestinian Authority, the militant group Hamas, and the state of Israel. The Palestinian Authority is supposed to govern most of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, but in reality, Israel has exercised significant control over the territories. Since 2007, the West Bank has been governed in part by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, while the Gaza Strip has remained under the control of Hamas.
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Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza since 1967
Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza since 7 June 1967, when Israeli forces captured the territories during the Six-Day War. Before the war, the West Bank was ruled by Jordan, and the Gaza Strip was under Egypt's control. However, after the Six-Day War, Israel seized both territories, and they have been a central part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ever since. The West Bank is the larger of the two Palestinian territories, stretching across the eastern border of Israel along the west bank of the Jordan River and most of the Dead Sea. The Gaza Strip, on the other hand, is a smaller territory bordering Egypt.
The occupation has had a significant impact on the Palestinian population in both the West Bank and Gaza. Israel's policies of land confiscation, illegal settlement, and dispossession have disrupted nearly every aspect of daily life for Palestinians. Movement restrictions, in particular, the 10-year-long Gaza blockade, have severely impacted Palestinians' right to health, livelihood, education, and family life. For example, pregnant Palestinian women have faced difficulties crossing checkpoints in the West Bank or obtaining exit permits to leave Gaza for hospital treatment. Israel has also imposed stringent movement controls in the West Bank, with a network of bypass roads and barriers that impede Palestinians' movement to work, schools, and markets.
The Israeli occupation has also resulted in the arrest and detention of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, including women and children, under military orders. During the Palestinian uprising between 1987 and 1993, around 100,000 Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces. Additionally, Israel has continued to support the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, with plans for thousands of new homes and the establishment of new settlements, despite this being considered a violation of international law and a war crime.
The status of the West Bank as occupied territory has been affirmed by the International Court of Justice, and it is administered by the Israeli Civil Administration, a branch of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. While Israel has cited reasons such as historic rights, security grounds, and the area's symbolic value for retaining the West Bank, the occupation is considered illegal under international law. The conflict has resulted in a complex mix of governing authorities, with power in the West Bank and Gaza divided between the Palestinian Authority, the militant group Hamas, and the state of Israel.
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Palestinians face restrictions and military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza
The West Bank and Gaza Strip are two Palestinian territories that were seized by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. The West Bank stretches across the eastern border of Israel along the west bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two territories. The Gaza Strip, on the other hand, is a narrow coastal territory located on the Mediterranean coast, just south of the Lebanese border. Together, they are home to over 5 million Palestinians.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has resulted in a complex mix of authorities governing the Palestinians living in these territories. While the Palestinian Authority, a governing body, and Hamas, a militant group, hold power in certain areas, Israel has exercised significant control over the Palestinian territories, both de facto and officially. This has resulted in restrictions and military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, with serious consequences for the Palestinian population.
Israel has entrenched its military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza through the expansion of military zones and settlements. The existence of these settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories violates international humanitarian law and is considered a war crime. Despite this, Israel has continued to appropriate Palestinian land and support the growth of Israeli settler communities. The construction of bypass roads and infrastructure by Israeli authorities has further impeded the movement of Palestinians, fragmenting their townships and causing obstacles to their daily lives.
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have faced severe restrictions on their human rights. Pregnant Palestinian women have faced difficulties accessing medical care due to Israeli checkpoints and exit permit restrictions. Thousands of Palestinians have been subjected to arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment by Israeli authorities. Additionally, Palestinians have been subjected to censorship and prohibited from gathering for "political" purposes or engaging in political and cultural activities.
The ongoing Israeli military assault on the West Bank and Gaza has resulted in mass displacement, killings, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. Israel's blockade of Gaza, in particular, has led to the intentional starvation of civilians, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The international community has called for a permanent ceasefire and for Israel to halt its military occupation and annexation of Palestinian land.
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The West Bank and Gaza are governed by a complex mix of authorities
The West Bank and Gaza Strip are two Palestinian territories that were seized by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. The West Bank stretches across the eastern border of Israel along the west bank of the Jordan River, and the Gaza Strip is a narrow piece of land between Israel and Egypt. Both territories have been under Israeli occupation since 1967, which is considered illegal under international law.
The governance of the West Bank and Gaza is complex and has evolved over time. Currently, power in the West Bank and Gaza is divided among three entities: the Palestinian Authority, the militant group Hamas, and the state of Israel. The Palestinian Authority, led by the PLO faction Fatah, is supposed to govern most of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip according to the Oslo Accords and the Gaza-Jericho Agreement. However, in reality, its authority has been overshadowed by Israel's significant control over the territories.
The West Bank areas under Palestinian control are exclusively part of the Palestinian Authority, while the Gaza Strip has been ruled by Hamas since its victory in Gaza's elections in 2006. Hamas maintains political control in Gaza and has a large military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Israel has waged a military campaign in Gaza with the goal of eliminating Hamas, further complicating the governance of the territory.
The international community has recognized the complexity of the situation. The United Nations classifies Israel as an occupier state over the Palestinian territories, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concluded that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, remains Israeli-occupied territory. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) officially represents Palestinians worldwide at international forums, but its influence has been diminished by the Palestinian Authority and Israeli control.
The situation on the ground is dynamic and often characterized by unrest and conflict. Attempts at reunifying the administration of the Gaza Strip with the West Bank have faced challenges, and the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains unresolved. The territories are formally divided into areas of control, with Area A designated as fully Palestinian-controlled but subject to Israeli restrictions and movement controls. The future of the West Bank and Gaza's governance depends on both Palestinian leadership and recognition by Israel and foreign powers.
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The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has resulted in violence and displacement
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been ongoing for over a hundred years, with the constant tension between Israelis and Palestinians in the territories often resulting in violence and displacement. The conflict has resulted in a complex mix of authorities governing the estimated 5 to 5.5 million Palestinians living in the two Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The two territories were captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967 and have been under Israeli occupation since, which is considered illegal under international law.
The conflict has resulted in violence and displacement on both sides. The Palestinian cause has served as a unifying banner for various regional actors, including Sunnis, Shiites, Arabs, and Persians. The conflict has also led to the rise of militant Palestinian groups such as Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip and has been involved in multiple wars with Israel since 2006. The most recent war in October 2023 caused widespread destruction, mass population displacement, a humanitarian crisis, and an imminent famine in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's actions in Gaza have been described as genocide by international law experts, genocide scholars, and human rights organizations. Amnesty International has reported instances of state-backed violent settlers in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with Israeli soldiers participating in the violence. The conflict has also resulted in the destruction of Palestinian villages in the West Bank, with Israeli forces demolishing buildings and forcibly transferring or displacing Palestinian communities. The expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank has led to the confiscation of Palestinian land, further displacement of Palestinians, and increased tension and conflict.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has resulted in the displacement of Palestinian refugees, who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict and the 1967 Six-Day War. As of 2010, there were approximately 4.7 million Palestinian refugees, with a third living in recognized refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The remaining refugees reside in and around the cities and towns of these host countries. The conflict has also resulted in the mass displacement of Palestinians within the West Bank and Gaza Strip due to Israeli military campaigns and the expansion of Israeli settlements.
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Frequently asked questions
Both are Palestinian territories that were part of Mandate Palestine and were captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. Since then, the two territories have been formally divided into three areas of control: Area A, which consists of most of Gaza and about 17% of the West Bank, is designated as fully Palestinian controlled; Area C, which contains 230 Israeli settlements where Israeli law is applied.
Power in the two territories has been divided among three entities: a governing body called the Palestinian Authority, the militant group Hamas, and the state of Israel. Israel has exercised significant control over the territories, with Palestinians living there being under military occupation and subject to Israeli restrictions.
The conflict over the specific territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip dates back over a hundred years, even before Israel became a country. Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been constant since the Six-Day War in 1967, often resulting in violence. Israel has constructed large settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law.
The West Bank and Gaza continue to be at the centre of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel has waged military campaigns in Gaza with the goal of eliminating Hamas, while the West Bank has witnessed unrest due to political developments and attempts at implementing social security programs. The two territories remain occupied by Israel, with Palestinians facing restrictions on movement, Israeli settlements, and settler violence.
