Jericho << JEHR uh `koh` >> (pop. 20,907) lies in the West Bank, a Middle Eastern territory inhabited chiefly by Palestinians. Some scholars believe Jericho may have been settled as early as 8000 B.C. Settlements have been built on top of one another. In the Bible, the Israelites under Joshua marched around the city, then shouted and blew their trumpets so that the city walls fell down (see Joshua).
In 1967, Israel defeated Jordan, Egypt, and Syria in a war and occupied the West Bank and other Arab territory. In 1993, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed an agreement that named Jericho as the first West Bank area to be given a form of Palestinian self-rule. In May 1994, Israeli occupation of Jericho ended and Palestinian control began.
