West Bank

The West Bank is a landlocked territory located in the Levant region of West Asia.

It sits near the Mediterranean Sea but does not reach its coast. To the east, the territory is bordered by Jordan and the Dead Sea. To the north, west, and south, it is bordered by Israel via the Green Line. The name "West Bank" is a translation of the Arabic term describing the land on the western side of the Jordan River. It is one of two Palestinian territories, the other being the Gaza Strip. Together, these areas are considered part of the State of Palestine.

Control of the territory is divided into three distinct regional levels. These levels were established in the mid-1990s through the Oslo Accords. The first level is Area A, which is under the full sovereignty of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The second level is Area B, where both the PNA and Israel share authority. The third level is Area C, which is managed by Israel. Area C is the largest section, comprising 60% of the total West Bank. Within these three areas, the PNA manages 165 separate Palestinian enclaves.

The history of the region involves many different governing powers. From 1517 to 1917, the area was part of Ottoman Syria under Turkish rule. During this time, the Turabay clan acted as a semi-autonomous Bedouin polity. They managed territories for the Ottoman sultans and oversaw security on trade routes. After World War I, the Allies allocated the area to the British Mandate of Palestine. In 1947, the United Nations proposed a Partition Plan. This plan suggested splitting the mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state.

Following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the territory underwent significant changes. Transjordan captured the area and annexed it in 1950. This annexation was widely regarded as illegal by the international community. Only the United Kingdom, Iraq, and Pakistan recognized this move. Jordan ruled the West Bank until the 1967 Six-Day War. During that conflict, Israel captured the territory. Since 1967, Israel has administered the West Bank, though it refers to it as the Judea and Samaria Area.

The current population of the West Bank is diverse and complex. There are an estimated 2,747,943 Palestinians living in the territory. Additionally, there are over 670,000 Israeli settlers living in the region. Approximately 220,000 of these settlers reside in East Jerusalem. Area C contains 230 Israeli settlements where Israeli law is applied. The international community and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have addressed the legality of these settlements. In 2004, the ICJ ruled that the West Bank remains occupied territory. In 2024, the ICJ stated that the occupation is unlawful and violates international prohibitions.

The West Bank is a central part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. For Palestinians, this land is the heart of their envisioned state. For many Israelis, the land is an ancestral homeland containing numerous biblical sites.

Because of these deep connections, the territory is a major focus of global politics. Some Israelis advocate for the partial or complete annexation of the land. This tension makes the West Bank a vital subject for understanding modern Middle Eastern history.

The economic history of the West Bank also shows significant shifts. During the period of Jordanian rule, agriculture was the primary activity. The West Bank contained half of Jordan's agricultural land and 80% of its fruit-growing land. Before the 1967 war, the economy grew at an annual rate of 6% to 8%. After the Israeli occupation began, the economy experienced a boom between 1967 and 1974. However, the transition from agriculture to industrial development has changed the region's economic structure over time.