As Israel’s conflict on Gaza, which has killed greater than 41,000 people, nears one 12 months, assaults within the occupied West Financial institution proceed, with at the very least 703 people killed by Israeli forces since October 7.
Regardless of Gaza and the West Financial institution being simply 33km (21 miles) aside at their closest factors, Israeli restrictions have lengthy prevented journey and interplay between the 2 Palestinian territories, even earlier than the current battle.
To higher perceive the impact of those restrictions and the scenario on the bottom, here’s a visible overview of the geography, historical past and dwelling situations of the tens of millions of Palestinians within the West Financial institution.
1 – How massive is the occupied West Financial institution?
The West Financial institution, together with occupied East Jerusalem, covers a land space of 5,655sq km (2,183sq miles), making it about 15 occasions bigger than the Gaza Strip, unfold over 365sq km (141sq miles).
In contrast with different locations world wide, the kidney bean-shaped West Financial institution is roughly the identical measurement as Delaware in the US or Bali in Indonesia. It’s about half the scale of Northern Eire in the UK and roughly a 3rd of the scale of Gauteng province in South Africa.
2 – How did the West Financial institution get its title?
The West Financial institution, referred to as al-Daffah in Arabic, is situated on the western aspect of the Jordan River, from which it derives its title.
The 251km (156 miles) lengthy river flows from the Lebanese mountains to the Useless Sea, including fertile soil to the encompassing valley. The Jordan Valley makes up 30 p.c of the West Financial institution and constitutes half of its agricultural land.
Attributable to tight Israeli controls and restrictions, Palestinians would not have their very own airport. As an alternative, to journey out and in of the West Financial institution, Palestinians with the required permits should use the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge over the Jordan River to achieve Jordan and onward locations.
3 – How many individuals stay within the West Financial institution?
The West Financial institution, with roughly 3.3 million Palestinian inhabitants, has roughly a million extra residents than Gaza.
The West Financial institution is split into 11 governorates. Hebron, or al-Khalil in Arabic, is essentially the most populous governorate with about 842,000 residents. It’s adopted by Jerusalem (500,000), Nablus (440,000), Ramallah and el-Bireh (337,000) and Jenin (360,000).
Moreover, about 700,000 Israelis stay in unlawful settlements on Palestinian land. Extra on Israeli settlers later.
4 – Israeli occupation of the West Financial institution
Since 1967, Israel has maintained a navy occupation of the West Financial institution, involving arrests, checkpoints, home invasions, demolitions and frequent raids and assaults.
To higher perceive the each day struggles Palestinians face underneath Israeli occupation, check out this illustrated guide.
Up to now 12 months, Israel demolished at the very least 1,697 Palestinian buildings, primarily houses, displacing 4,233 individuals, based on United Nations figures. This quantities to a mean of 5 buildings destroyed per day.
The figures for 2024 symbolize the best variety of buildings destroyed in a single 12 months for the reason that UN started monitoring in 2009.
Over the previous 15 years, Israel has demolished at the very least 11,500 Palestinian-owned buildings, with three-quarters of these situated in Space C.
5 – The variations between Areas A, B, and C
As a part of the 1993 Oslo Accords, signed by the Palestine Liberation Group (PLO) and Israel, the occupied West Financial institution was divided into three areas – A, B and C.
The Oslo Accords represented the primary direct Palestinian-Israeli peace settlement. This led to the formation of the Palestinian Authority (PA) – an administrative physique that might govern Palestinian inner safety, administration and civilian affairs in areas of self-rule, for a five-year interim interval.
Space A initially comprised 3 p.c of the West Financial institution and grew to 18 p.c by 1999. In Space A, the PA controls most affairs.
Space B represents about 22 p.c of the West Financial institution. In each areas, whereas the PA is in control of training, well being and the economic system, the Israelis have full management of exterior safety, which means they preserve the proper to enter at any time.
Space C represents 60 p.c of the West Financial institution. Beneath the Oslo Accords, management of this space was speculated to be handed over to the PA. As an alternative, Israel retains whole management over all issues, together with safety, planning and development. The switch of management to the PA by no means occurred.
6 – Unlawful Israeli settlement growth
Israeli settlements are Jewish communities constructed on Palestinian land. Roughly 700,000 Israeli settlers are dwelling in at the very least 250 settlements and outposts within the occupied West Financial institution and East Jerusalem.
Israeli settlements are unlawful underneath worldwide legislation as they violate the Fourth Geneva Conference, which prohibits an occupying energy from transferring its inhabitants to the realm it occupies.
The settler inhabitants is rising sooner than Israel’s general inhabitants, with about 10 p.c of Israel’s 6.8 million Jewish residents dwelling in these areas. Settlers obtain Israeli citizenship and authorities subsidies that decrease their value of dwelling.
7 – Israeli separation wall and checkpoints
Since 2002, Israel has been establishing a wall that stretches for greater than 700km (435 miles), chopping deep into Palestinian territory.
Israel has additionally constructed a whole lot of street obstacles and checkpoints, severely limiting Palestinian freedom of movement.
Whereas Palestinians could have to attend for hours at these checkpoints and journey alongside segregated street networks, Israelis can journey freely on their very own “bypass roads” which have been constructed on Palestinian land to attach unlawful Israeli settlements to main metropolitan areas inside Israel.
8 – Occupied East Jerusalem and the Previous Metropolis
Jerusalem, a metropolis sacred to Muslims, Christians, and Jews, has had West Jerusalem underneath Israeli management since 1948, with a Jewish majority. East Jerusalem, together with the Previous Metropolis, has been underneath Israeli occupation since 1967 and is generally Palestinian.
Since its annexation in 1980, Israel has thought-about the complete metropolis of Jerusalem part of its territory. This isn’t internationally recognised. For that reason, Israeli maps don’t present East Jerusalem part of the occupied West Financial institution.
The Previous Metropolis, situated in East Jerusalem, is residence to a few of the holiest websites in Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The realm, which is smaller than 1sq km (0.39sq miles), is residence to Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall, St James Cathedral and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, amongst others.
9 – Palestinian refugee camps
The West Financial institution is residence to at the very least 870,000 registered refugees, with about 25 p.c dwelling in 19 camps established after the 1948 Nakba.
On Could 14, 1948, the British Mandate expired and Zionist leaders introduced they might be declaring a state, triggering the primary Arab-Israeli conflict.
Zionist gangs expelled some 750,000 Palestinians and captured 78 p.c of the land. The remaining 22 p.c was divided into the West Financial institution and the Gaza Strip.
Some 1.5 million Palestinian refugees live in 58 official UN camps situated all through Palestine and neighbouring international locations. In whole, there are at the very least 5.9 million registered Palestinian refugees principally dwelling exterior of those camps.
The plight of Palestinian refugees is the longest, unresolved refugee drawback on the planet.
10 – Israeli assaults on the West Financial institution
Since launching its severest raids in 20 years on August 28, Israeli forces have killed at the very least 50 Palestinians throughout the West Financial institution.
The assaults concerned a whole lot of floor troopers advancing in bulldozers and armoured autos, supported by fighter jets and drones that dropped bombs.
