Situated between Israel and Jordan on the western bank of the Jordan River, the West Bank is central to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which envisions an independent Palestine encompassing the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital. But the growing expansion of Israeli settlements—which are considered illegal by the International Court of Justice, the Geneva Conventions and the overwhelming majority of UN member states—and the rising violence that has left about 1,000 Palestinians dead at the hands of Israeli forces and settlers in just under two years have cast doubt on that outcome.
The 1947 UN Partition Plan had recommended creating separate Jewish and Arab states. But after Israel declared independence in May 1948, Arab states invaded, triggering the first Arab-Israeli war. At the end of the war in 1949, Israel held much of the land originally allocated for a Palestinian state. Jordan’s forces controlled the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and formally annexed it in 1950—a move rejected internationally.
Many of the more than 750,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes during the period around the establishing of the state of Israel—referred to as the Nakba, which means “catastrophe” in Arabic—were displaced to the Jordan’s, a territory of 5,655 square kilometers (2,180 square miles) where refugee camps are still administered by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War and has occupied it since. Except for the US, most of the international community does not recognize Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
“Creeping annexation”: Israeli settlements have expanded in recent yearsImage: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
The first Israeli settlement was built in the West Bank in the late 1960s. Settlements began to proliferate in the 1980s and their growth has accelerated in recent years. Today, between 500,000 and 800,000 settlers live there, many in state-supported developments. While most settlers are not militant, some engage in violence against Palestinians. Successive Israeli governments have legalized previously unauthorized outposts and expanded settlements, which critics say make a contiguous Palestinian state nearly impossible.
Following the Hamas-led attack from Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have stepped up raids on West Bank refugee camps such as Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams. These operations target militants but also displace civilians. Meanwhile, discontent is growing with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its aging leader, President Mahmoud Abbas.
Economy and politics
About 3.2 million Palestinians lived in the West Bank as of 2023, according to the most recent numbers available from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, and up to 800,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank. Palestinians have one of the Arab world’s highest literacy rates, a budding tech sector, and a rich cultural life. Agriculture, especially olive farming, remains central to the economy.
The Palestinian Authority was created in 1994 under the Oslo Accords. Led by Mahmoud Abbas and dominated by the Fatah party, the PA governs parts of the West Bank but excludes Hamas.
Under Oslo II (1995), the territory was divided into three zones:
• Area A (18%): The PA has nearly full civil and security control, including in the major cities Ramallah, Nablus and Bethlehem. There are 2.5-3 million Palestinians here.
• Area B (22%): The PA administers civil matters, but Israel maintains full external security control, with forces allowed to enter at will. It is home to 700,000–800,000 Palestinians.
• Area C (60%): Under total Israeli control. This area contains all settlements and is home to an estimated 500,000-800,000 Israelis, plus about 300,000 Palestinians.
Israel’s army has raided several refugee camps, forcing thousands of civilians to fleeImage: Mohammed Nasser Apaimages/APA Images/ZUMA/picture alliance
Checkpoints, frequent roadblocks and the separation barrier restrict Palestinian movement even between Areas A and B, limiting access to jobs and services for residents.
Some Israeli politicians advocate annexing Area C, leaving Areas A and B as small Palestinian enclaves—a plan fiercely opposed by Palestinians, Arab neighbors and most of the international community.
The UN, EU and Arab League still officially support a two-state solution, and an increasing number of countries beyond the region have recognized a Palestinian state.
Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu and Milan Gagnon