What is the West Bank ?
As Israel's war with Gaza approaches its one-year mark, resulting in over 41,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, assaults in the occupied West Bank persist, with at least 703 Palestinians murdered by Israeli troops since October 7.
Although Gaza and the West Bank are about 33 km (21 miles) apart at their nearest points, Israeli restrictions have historically impeded travel and interaction between the two Palestinian Territories, even prior to the recent genocide in Gaza.
To better explain the impact of these restrictions and the prevailing circumstances, I will provide you with a visual overview on Quora of the geography, history, and living situations of the millions of Palestinians in the West Bank.
The West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, spans an area of 5,655 square kilometers (2,183 square miles), rendering it almost 15 times larger than the Gaza Strip, which comprises 365 square kilometers (141 square miles).
In comparison to other global locations, the kidney bean-shaped West Bank is about equivalent in size to Delaware in the United States or Bali in Indonesia. It is roughly half the size of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom and around one-third the size of Gauteng province in South Africa.
The West Bank, referred to as al-Daffah in Arabic, is situated on the western bank of the Jordan River, from which it derives its name.
The 251 km (156 miles) river flows from the Lebanese mountains and runs to the Dead Sea, enriching the adjacent valley with fertile soil. The Jordan Valley occupies 30 percent of the West Bank and accounts for half of its agricultural land.
Palestinians lack their own airport due to severe Israeli restrictions and limitations. To travel in and out of the West Bank, Palestinians possessing the necessary permissions must utilize the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge over the Jordan River to access Jordan and subsequent destinations.
The West Bank, home to approximately 3.3 million Palestinians, has about one million more people than Gaza.
The West Bank comprises 11 governorates. Hebron, known as al-Khalil in Arabic, is the most populated governorate, housing around 842,000 inhabitants. Subsequently, Jerusalem (500,000), Nablus (440,000), Ramallah and el-Bireh (337,000), and Jenin (360,000) follow.
Furthermore, approximately 700,000 Israelis reside in unlawful colonies on Palestinian land. I will provide more details about Israeli settlers in my answer below.
Since 1967, Israel has maintained a military occupation of the West Bank, involving arrests, checkpoints, home invasions, demolitions and frequent raids and assaults.
To better understand the daily struggles Palestinians face under Israeli occupation, take a look at my answer here.
Over the past year, Israel has demolished over 1,697 Palestinian structures, predominantly homes, resulting in the displacement of 4,233 people, as reported by United Nations statistics. This equates to an average of five structures obliterated daily.
The 2024 statistics represent the highest number of structures demolished in a single year since UN monitoring began in 2009.
Over the last 15 years, Israel has demolished over 11,500 structures owned by Palestinians, with approximately 75% located in Area C.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel signed the 1993 Oslo Accords, which divided the occupied West Bank into three zones: A, B, and C.
The Oslo Accords were the first direct peace deal between Palestinians and Israelis. This resulted in the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA), an administrative entity responsible for overseeing Palestinian internal security, administration, and civilian matters in self-governing regions, for a five-year transitional phase.
Area A initially constituted 3 percent of the West Bank and expanded to 18 percent by 1999. In Area A, the Palestinian Authority governs the majority of matters.
Area B constitutes approximately 22 percent of the West Bank. In both areas, the Palestinian Authority oversees education, health, and the economy, while the Israelis maintain complete authority over external security, allowing them the right to enter at any moment.
Area C constitutes 60 percent of the West Bank. According to the Oslo Accords, governance of this area was supposed to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Israel maintains complete authority over all aspects, including security, planning, and building. The transfer of control to the PA did not occur to this very day.
Israeli settlements are Jewish colonies established on Palestinian land. Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers reside in over 250 settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law because they violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which forbids an occupying power from transferring its population to occupied territory.
The settler population is expanding more rapidly than Israel's total population, with about 10 percent of the country's 6.8 million Jewish citizens residing in these regions. Settlers obtain Israeli citizenship and government subsidies that reduce their living expenses.
Since 2002, Israel has been developing a wall that extends over 700 kilometers (435 miles), encroaching deep into Palestinian land.
Israel has erected hundreds of roadblocks and checkpoints, significantly restricting Palestinian freedom of movement.
Palestinians may endure hours of waiting at checkpoints and traveling along segregated road networks, but Israelis can travel freely on "bypass roads" constructed on Palestinian lands to link illegal Israeli settlements to significant urban centers within Israel.
Jerusalem, a city revered by Muslims, Christians, and Jews, has been under Israeli control since 1948, with West Jerusalem exhibiting a Jewish majority. East Jerusalem, encompassing the Old City, has been under Israeli control since 1967 and is predominantly Palestinian.
Following its annexation in 1980, Israel has seen the entirety of Jerusalem as an integral part of its territory. This is not internationally recognized. Therefore, Israeli maps do not depict East Jerusalem as part of the occupied West Bank.
The Old City, situated in East Jerusalem, houses some of the most sacred sites in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The area, measuring less than 1 square kilometer (0.39 square miles), encompasses Al-Aqsa Mosque, Al-Buraq Wall (the Western Wall), St. James Cathedral, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, among other notable sites.
The West Bank houses at least 870,000 registered Palestinian refugees, approximately 25 percent of whom reside in 19 camps built following the 1948 Nakba.
On May 14, 1948, the British mandate expired, and Zionist leaders announced they would be declaring a state on Palestinian lands, initiating the first Arab-Israeli war.
Zionist gangs ethnically cleansed over 750,000 Palestinians and seized 78 percent of the land. The remaining 22 percent was divided between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Some 1.5 million Palestinian refugees reside in 58 designated UN camps situated across Palestine and adjacent nations. There are at least 5.9 million registered Palestinian refugees, predominantly residing outside of these camps.
The plight of Palestinian refugees constitutes the most protracted, unresolved refugee issue globally.
Since launching its most intense raids in twenty years on August 28, Israeli soldiers have killed at least 50 Palestinians throughout the West Bank.
The attacks comprised several ground troops progressing in bulldozers and armored vehicles, backed by fighter jets and drones that dropped bombs.