West Bank: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 10:29, 20 June 2002 view sourceDanny (talk \| contribs)41,414 edits Changed considerably and tried to NPOV. See Talk← Previous edit		Revision as of 10:51, 20 June 2002 view source Ed Poor (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers59,208 edits Link Palestine, Jenin. Change "only real geographical border" to "eastern border"Next edit →
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	The '''West Bank''' consists of the region of Palestine occupied by ] from 1949 to 1967 and by Israel from 1967 to the present. Its boundaries are the result solely of the armistice lines reached during the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1948-1949 (see: ], the ]). Many Israelis prefer to call the area ] and ], in reference to the two biblical kingdoms that once occupied the West Bank (] and the ], whose capital was, for a time, in the town of ]).		The '''West Bank''' consists of the region of ] occupied by ] from 1949 to 1967 and by Israel from 1967 to the present. Its boundaries are the result solely of the armistice lines reached during the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1948-1949 (see: ], the ]). Many Israelis prefer to call the area ] and ], in reference to the two biblical kingdoms that once occupied the West Bank (] and the ], whose capital was, for a time, in the town of ]).

	The ~~only real geographical~~ border ~~for~~ the West Bank is the Jordan River, from which the area now derives its name--the East Bank of the Jordan River is the Kingdom of Jordan (once Transjordan). The most densely populated part of the region is a mountainous spine, running north-south, where the cities of ], ], ], ], and ] are located. Jenin, in the extreme north of the West Bank is on the southern edge of the Jezreel Valley, ] and ] are in the low foothills adjacent to the Israeli coastal plain, and ] is situated near the ], just north of the ].		The eastern border of the West Bank is the Jordan River, from which the area now derives its name--the East Bank of the Jordan River is the Kingdom of Jordan (once Transjordan). The most densely populated part of the region is a mountainous spine, running north-south, where the cities of ], ], ], ], and ] are located. ], in the extreme north of the West Bank is on the southern edge of the Jezreel Valley, ] and ] are in the low foothills adjacent to the Israeli coastal plain, and ] is situated near the ], just north of the ].

	The status of the West Bank, together with the Gaza Strip on the Mediterreanean shore, is currently disputed, though almost everyone agrees that the area will eventually form the basis of a future ].		The status of the West Bank, together with the Gaza Strip on the Mediterreanean shore, is currently disputed, though almost everyone agrees that the area will eventually form the basis of a future ].

Revision as of 10:51, 20 June 2002

The West Bank consists of the region of Palestine occupied by Jordan from 1949 to 1967 and by Israel from 1967 to the present. Its boundaries are the result solely of the armistice lines reached during the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1948-1949 (see: Israel's War of Independence, the Naqba). Many Israelis prefer to call the area ] and Samaria, in reference to the two biblical kingdoms that once occupied the West Bank (Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, whose capital was, for a time, in the town of Samaria).

The eastern border of the West Bank is the Jordan River, from which the area now derives its name--the East Bank of the Jordan River is the Kingdom of Jordan (once Transjordan). The most densely populated part of the region is a mountainous spine, running north-south, where the cities of Nablus, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Hebron are located. Jenin, in the extreme north of the West Bank is on the southern edge of the Jezreel Valley, Qalqilya and Tulkarm are in the low foothills adjacent to the Israeli coastal plain, and Jericho is situated near the Jordan River, just north of the Dead Sea.

The status of the West Bank, together with the Gaza Strip on the Mediterreanean shore, is currently disputed, though almost everyone agrees that the area will eventually form the basis of a future Palestinian homeland.

Generally, the Arab World considers the West Bank the rightful property of its Arab residents and regards the Israeli presence as an occupation force. Supporters of this view commonly refer to the West Bank and Gaza as the "occupied territories." Some official Arab maps show the West Bank, Gaza, and the rest of the territory bounded by Egypt, the Jordan River, Syria, Lebanon and the Mediterrenean Sea as "Palestine", reflecting a non-recognition of Israel as a state.

This is much too oversimplified. Israeli opinion is split into those who advocate, variously:

abandoning the West Bank entirely in hopes of ending Arab attacks on Israel (sometimes called the "land for peace" position)
maintaining a military presence in the West Bank to deter surprise attack, while relinquishing some degree of political control
annexing the West Bank (sometimes called an "extremist" position)

The West Bank was controlled by Trans-Jordan (now Jordan) prior to the 6 day war in 1967 when it was captured by Israel.

The boundaries of the West Bank with Israel, often known as the "Green Line", are based on the armistice lines agreed with Jordan after the war of 1948-1949.

History

Note: this history should start much further back.

A part of the pre-1948 Mandatory Palestine, the West Bank was part of the territory reserved by the 1947 Partition Plan (UN General Assembly Resolution 181) for an Arab state. According to the plan, the city of Jerusalem and the surrounding towns (including Bethlehem and Ramallah) would be an internationally adminsitered territory, whose future would be determined at a later date. While a Palestinian Arab state failed to materialize, the territory was captured by the neighboring kingdom of Jordan. This occupation was not recognized by the UN or by the international community. In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel captured this territory, but the U.N. did not recognize it either and asked for Israel's withdrawal in Resolution 242. In 1988, Jordan withdrew all claims to it.

The 1993 Oslo Accords declared its final status a subject to a forthcoming settlement between Israel and the Palestinian leadership. Following the accords, Israel withdrew its military rule from some parts of West Bank, which was then split into:

Palestine-controlled, Palestinian-administered areas
Israeli and Palestinian co-controlled, but Palestinian areas
Israeli-controlled, Israeli-adminstered areas (the majority of the territory)

However, Israel has continued to construct many settlements in the West Bank. Israel has been criticized for this practice by supporters of the Palestinian cause. Palestinians prefer to use the word colonies for these Israeli enclaves. Although the settlements/colonies themselves only amount to a few per cent of the territory, their significance stretch far beyond what that figure might suggest. Firstly, surrounding territories are typically under the control of the settlements, bringing the total area under Israeli control to over 40%. Also, settlments are connected by highways accessible to Israelis only. To give room for these roads, Palestinian villages and olive grooves have frequently been razed to the ground. Further, passsing over the highways can only be done at special check points. This practice separates communities and is a source of continuing humiliation and anger among ordinary Paliestinians struggling to make a living.