Ethan Riley
The West Bank is a landlocked territory located on the western bank of the Jordan River in West Asia. It is one of two Palestinian territories that make up the State of Palestine, the other being the Gaza Strip. The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, when it was seized by Israel during the Six-Day War. Prior to that, it was ruled by Jordan, which formally annexed the territory in 1950. The West Bank is bordered by Jordan and the Dead Sea to the east and by Israel to the south, west, and north. The status of the West Bank is highly contested, with Israel regarding possession of the territory as vital to its security, while the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has historically refused to recognize Israel's right to exist.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current status | Under Israeli occupation since 1967, regarded as illegal under international law |
| Population | 4,026,000 (including Israeli settlements); 3,325,905 (excluding Israeli settlements) |
| Previous status | Part of the British-mandated territory of Palestine (1920-1947); claimed by Jordan from 1949-1988 as part of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan |
| Location | West of the Jordan River, bordered by Jordan and the Dead Sea to the east, and by Israel to the south, west, and north |
| Palestinian Territories | One of two Palestinian territories, the other being the Gaza Strip |
| Israeli Settlements | Presence of Israeli settlements, with Israel refusing to negotiate or recognize the PLO |
| Wastewater Treatment | Only 13,000 out of 85,000 m3 of wastewater treated in five municipal wastewater treatment plants |
| Quarries | Israel's restrictions cost the Palestinian economy an estimated US$241 million per year |
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What You'll Learn
The West Bank's history
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is one of two Palestinian territories, the other being the Gaza Strip. The territory emerged following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, when it was occupied and annexed by Jordan, who ruled the region until 1967.
The West Bank was formally annexed by Jordan in 1950, following the 1949 Jordanian-Israeli armistice, which established the territory's borders and status. However, the annexation was only recognised by Great Britain and Pakistan. The Arab state envisioned by the 1947 UN partition plan never came into being.
In 1967, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria were involved in a military conflict known as the Six-Day War. After this, both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank came under Israeli control, and have been under Israeli occupation since. This occupation is considered illegal under international law. Israel has settled the area with Israeli citizens, and has been accused of engaging in 'warfare ecology' in the West Bank, using the area as a 'sacrifice zone' for waste produced in Israeli sovereign territory.
In 1987, a popular uprising broke out among the Palestinians of the West Bank, and the first intifada became a permanent feature of life in the region. In 1988, Jordan's King Hussein renounced all administrative responsibility for the West Bank, severing the country's remaining ties with the area.
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Israeli occupation
The West Bank is a Palestinian territory located on the western bank of the Jordan River. It is bordered by Jordan and the Dead Sea to the east and by Israel to the south, west, and north. The territory has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, following the Six-Day War, when Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The status of the West Bank as a militarily occupied territory has been affirmed by the International Court of Justice and, with the exception of East Jerusalem, by the Israeli Supreme Court.
The occupation of the West Bank is considered illegal under international law, and Israel has been criticised for major violations of international human rights law in its administration of the territory. The United Nations Security Council has repeatedly affirmed that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are a "flagrant violation of international law", and the establishment of these settlements has been deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice. Despite the illegality of the occupation, Israel has cited several reasons for retaining control of the West Bank, including historic rights, security grounds, and the area's symbolic value for Jews.
The Israeli occupation of the West Bank involves tight controls and restrictions on Palestinian movement and access. Palestinians do not have their own airport and must use the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge to travel in and out of the territory. The West Bank is also subject to Israeli military governance, including arrests, checkpoints, home invasions, demolitions, and frequent raids and assaults. The Oslo Accords of 1993 divided the West Bank into three areas – A, B, and C – with varying levels of control exercised by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel. However, in practice, Israel retains total control over all matters, including security, planning, and construction.
The Israeli occupation has faced criticism and opposition from within Israel itself, with some Israeli conscripts refusing to serve due to their objections. Additionally, human rights organisations such as B'Tselem have highlighted how Israel uses the West Bank as a 'sacrifice zone' for waste treatment facilities, with less stringent regulatory standards compared to those in Israel. The occupation has also had significant economic impacts, with the World Bank estimating that Israeli restrictions on quarries in the West Bank cost the Palestinian economy at least US$241 million per year.
The ongoing Israeli occupation of the West Bank has resulted in constant tension and violence between Israelis and Palestinians. A popular uprising, known as the first intifada, broke out among West Bank Palestinians in December 1987 and continued for several years despite Israeli attempts to suppress it. More recently, assaults in the occupied West Bank have resulted in the deaths of at least 703 people killed by Israeli forces since October 7. The conflict has also led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, with many fleeing to Jordan as refugees.
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Jordan's annexation
The West Bank is a Palestinian territory located on the western bank of the Jordan River. It is the larger of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the Gaza Strip. The West Bank has been occupied by Jordan and Israel at different periods in its history.
During the Jordanian occupation, Jerusalem was divided, with barbed wire, concrete barriers, and walls separating the Israeli and Jordanian sectors. King Abdullah of Jordan took several steps towards the annexation of the West Bank, including appointing governors in Arab cities, ordering Palestinian policemen to wear Jordanian police uniforms, and instituting the use of Jordanian postage stamps. In 1950, Jordan transferred full citizenship rights to the residents of the West Bank, more than tripling the country's population.
In 1988, Jordan's King Hussein renounced all administrative responsibility for the West Bank, severing the country's remaining connections to the area.
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International law
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is one of two Palestinian territories, the other being the Gaza Strip. The territory has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, which is regarded as illegal under international law.
The West Bank was previously occupied by Jordan, which ruled the territory from 1948 until 1967. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Transjordan annexed the area west of the Jordan River in 1950, naming it the "West Bank" and designating the area east of the river as the "East Bank" or "Transjordan". Jordan formally annexed the West Bank on April 24, 1950, although this was only recognized by Great Britain and Pakistan.
In accordance with the doctrine of international law, the principle of "inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war" is well-established. This principle was internationally accepted as a rule of American international law by most members of the Pan American Conference of 1890 and reaffirmed in subsequent declarations and charters.
Israel's occupation of the West Bank has resulted in constant tension and violence between Israelis and Palestinians living in the territories. Israel controls all access to the West Bank, and Palestinians living there are under military occupation and subject to Israeli restrictions.
Additionally, Israel has been accused of engaging in 'warfare ecology' in the West Bank by using the area as a 'sacrifice zone' for waste generated inside Israeli sovereign territory. According to B'Tselem, Israel's leading human rights organization for monitoring the West Bank, Israel does not require reporting by West Bank waste treatment facilities on the amount of waste processed or the risks posed to the local population. This is in contrast to the stricter regulatory standards applied to solid waste treatment facilities within Israel itself.
The holy city of Jerusalem is considered by international law to be part of the West Bank, with East Jerusalem claimed as the capital by both Israelis and Palestinians. However, Israel effectively annexed East Jerusalem in 1980 and administers the rest of the West Bank as the Judea and Samaria Area. In 1988, Jordan's King Hussein renounced all administrative responsibility for the West Bank, severing his country's remaining connections with the area.
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Population and demographics
The West Bank is a territory with a complex history and a disputed status. It is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the Gaza Strip. The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Six-Day War, when it was seized by Israel along with the Gaza Strip. This occupation is considered illegal under international law, and the United Nations refers to the West Bank as an "Israeli-occupied territory".
The population of the West Bank is predominantly Palestinian Arab, with a significant minority of Israeli settlers. As of 2024, the total population of the West Bank was estimated to be around 4 million people, including Israeli settlements. Excluding Israeli settlements, the population was estimated to be around 3.3 million. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reported a slightly lower figure of 2,939,418 in 2018. An official census conducted by the Palestinian Authority in 2007 found that the Palestinian Arab population of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was 2,345,000. However, there are discrepancies in the data, with the World Bank and American-Israeli Demographic Research Group identifying a 32% discrepancy in first-grade enrollment statistics between the Palestinian Ministry of Education and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. The Israeli Civil Administration put the number of Palestinians in the West Bank at 2,657,029 as of May 2012.
The population of the West Bank is diverse, with various ethnic and religious groups. The majority of the population is Arab, predominantly Sunni Muslim, with smaller communities of Christians and other religious minorities such as Metawalis, Druze, and Baha'is. There is also a significant Jewish population, including Israeli settlers and citizens of Palestinian ethnicity. As of 2017, it was estimated that around 391,000 Jews lived in the West Bank outside of East Jerusalem, with approximately 214,600 Jews living in East Jerusalem itself.
The West Bank has a relatively high population growth rate, estimated at 1.81% in 2018. The total fertility rate in the West Bank is also relatively high, at 3.2 in 2018 according to the World Factbook. This is compared to a global average fertility rate of 2.4 children per woman. The population of the West Bank is relatively young, with a high percentage of the population under the age of 15 and a low percentage above the age of 65.
The principal Palestinian municipalities of the West Bank are Jenin, Nablus, and Ramallah north of Jerusalem, and Bethlehem and Hebron (Al-Khalil) south of Jerusalem. These cities have well-established communities and play an important role in the cultural and economic life of the West Bank.
The demographics of the West Bank are closely linked to the region's politics and history. The Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) have claimed that the West Bank ought to be part of their sovereign nation, while Israel has been unwilling to relinquish control of the area due to security concerns and the presence of Israeli settlements. The growing number of Israeli settlements in the West Bank has further complicated the demographic situation, with Israel applying its laws and civil administration to these areas.
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Frequently asked questions
The West Bank is a Palestinian territory that has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.
No, the West Bank was occupied and annexed by Jordan in 1950, following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
The West Bank is considered occupied territory under international law. Israel's occupation of the West Bank is regarded as illegal by the international community.
Israel controls all access to the West Bank, and Palestinians living in the territory are subject to Israeli restrictions. There has been ongoing tension and conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank, with Israel accused of engaging in 'warfare ecology' in the region.
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