As Israel’s struggle on Gaza, which has killed greater than 41,000 folks, nears one yr, assaults within the occupied West Financial institution proceed, with at the very least 703 folks 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 raised perceive the impact of those restrictions and the state of affairs on the bottom, here’s a visible overview of the geography, historical past and dwelling circumstances of the thousands and thousands 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 instances bigger than the Gaza Strip, unfold over 365sq km (141sq miles).
In contrast with different locations all over the world, the kidney bean-shaped West Financial institution is roughly the identical measurement as Delaware in the USA or Bali in Indonesia. It’s about half the dimensions of Northern Eire in the UK and roughly a 3rd of the dimensions of Gauteng province in South Africa.
2 – How did the West Financial institution get its identify?
The West Financial institution, referred to as al-Daffah in Arabic, is positioned on the western aspect of the Jordan River, from which it derives its identify.
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 % of the West Financial institution and constitutes half of its agricultural land.
Because of tight Israeli controls and restrictions, Palestinians should 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 succeed in Jordan and onward locations.
3 – How many individuals reside 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 reside 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, house invasions, demolitions and frequent raids and assaults.
To raised perceive the every day struggles Palestinians face beneath Israeli occupation, check out this illustrated information.
Previously 12 months, Israel demolished at the very least 1,697 Palestinian constructions, primarily properties, displacing 4,233 folks, in accordance with United Nations figures. This quantities to a median of 5 constructions destroyed per day.
The figures for 2024 symbolize the best variety of constructions destroyed in a single yr 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 constructions, with three-quarters of these positioned 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 will govern Palestinian inside safety, administration and civilian affairs in areas of self-rule, for a five-year interim interval.
Space A initially comprised 3 % of the West Financial institution and grew to 18 % by 1999. In Space A, the PA controls most affairs.
Space B represents about 22 % of the West Financial institution. In each areas, whereas the PA is answerable for training, well being and the financial system, the Israelis have full management of exterior safety, that means they preserve the correct to enter at any time.
Space C represents 60 % of the West Financial institution. Underneath the Oslo Accords, management of this space was imagined to be handed over to the PA. As an alternative, Israel retains whole management over all issues, together with safety, planning and building. The switch of management to the PA by no means occurred.
6 – Unlawful Israeli settlement enlargement
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 beneath worldwide regulation as they violate the Fourth Geneva Conference, which prohibits an occupying energy from transferring its inhabitants to the world it occupies.
The settler inhabitants is rising quicker than Israel’s total inhabitants, with about 10 % of Israel’s 6.8 million Jewish residents dwelling in these areas. Settlers obtain Israeli citizenship and authorities subsidies that decrease their price of dwelling.
7 – Israeli separation wall and checkpoints
Since 2002, Israel has been developing a wall that stretches for greater than 700km (435 miles), reducing deep into Palestinian territory.
Israel has additionally constructed a whole bunch of highway obstacles and checkpoints, severely limiting Palestinian freedom of motion.
Whereas Palestinians might have to attend for hours at these checkpoints and journey alongside segregated highway 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 Outdated Metropolis
Jerusalem, a metropolis sacred to Muslims, Christians, and Jews, has had West Jerusalem beneath Israeli management since 1948, with a Jewish majority. East Jerusalem, together with the Outdated Metropolis, has been beneath Israeli occupation since 1967 and is usually Palestinian.
Since its annexation in 1980, Israel has thought-about your entire metropolis of Jerusalem part of its territory. This isn’t internationally recognised. Because of this, Israeli maps don’t present East Jerusalem part of the occupied West Financial institution.
The Outdated Metropolis, positioned in East Jerusalem, is house to a number of the holiest websites in Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The realm, which is smaller than 1sq km (0.39sq miles), is house 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 house to at the very least 870,000 registered refugees, with about 25 % dwelling in 19 camps established after the 1948 Nakba.
On Might 14, 1948, the British Mandate expired and Zionist leaders introduced they might be declaring a state, triggering the primary Arab-Israeli struggle.
Zionist gangs expelled some 750,000 Palestinians and captured 78 % of the land. The remaining 22 % was divided into the West Financial institution and the Gaza Strip.
Some 1.5 million Palestinian refugees reside in 58 official UN camps positioned all through Palestine and neighbouring international locations. In whole, there are at the very least 5.9 million registered Palestinian refugees principally dwelling outdoors of those camps.
The plight of Palestinian refugees is the longest, unresolved refugee downside 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 bunch of floor troopers advancing in bulldozers and armoured automobiles, supported by fighter jets and drones that dropped bombs.
