West Bank is a territory in the Middle East that lies between Israel and Jordan. It covers 2,263 square miles (5,860 square kilometers) and has a population of about 2,950,000. Most of them are Arab people known as Palestinians.
Historically part of Palestine, the West Bank was annexed by Jordan in 1950. In 1967, Israel defeated Jordan, Egypt, and Syria in a war and captured the West Bank. In 1993, a peace process began between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and the next year, Israel began withdrawing from the West Bank. But the two sides have not reached a final agreement. In 2002, Israel reoccupied many West Bank areas from which it had previously withdrawn. See the History and government section of this article for more details.
East Jerusalem is the West Bank’s largest city. But Israel, which includes West Jerusalem, does not consider East Jerusalem part of the West Bank. After the 1967 war, Israel made East Jerusalem a part of Israeli Jerusalem. But other countries do not recognize Israeli control.
People.
Most West Bank Palestinians live in villages. About 12 percent of the Palestinians live in crowded refugee camps, where a United Nations (UN) agency provides schools and other services. Israelis make up about 15 percent of the West Bank’s population. Many of the Israelis live in settlements built by the Israeli government. Many others live in East Jerusalem.
Most West Bank Palestinians wear clothing similar to that worn by North Americans and Europeans. Older men may also wear a traditional keffiyeh, or headcloth. Women generally dress more conservatively than American and European women do. Beautifully embroidered dresses, for which the area is well known, are still made for wearing on special occasions. Israeli settlers generally wear clothing similar to that worn by North Americans and Europeans.
West Bank cooking is similar to that of other Arab lands. Dishes include kibbeh (ground lamb) and tabbouleh (a salad made of ground wheat, onion, lemon juice, parsley, and mint). Baklava, or baklawa (a thin pastry layered with honey and chopped nuts), and halva, or halwa (ground sesame seeds and honey), are desserts.
West Bank Palestinians speak Arabic. English is the most common second language. Most Palestinians are Muslims who belong to the Sunni division of Islam. About 8 percent of the people are Christians, chiefly members of the Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic churches. The Israelis are Jewish and speak Hebrew.
Education.
The West Bank has universities in Bethlehem, Bir Zeit, East Jerusalem, Hebron, Janin, and Nabulus. Many well-educated Palestinians have found jobs outside of the territory.
Land and climate.
The West Bank is hilly with generally thin, stony soil. Only about one-fourth of the land is suitable for farming. The highlands that cover most of the West Bank have mild summers and occasional freezing temperatures and snow in winter. The Jordan River Valley, in the eastern part of the territory, has mild winters and hot summers, with temperatures reaching 120 °F (49 °C) and higher.
Much of the West Bank receives little rainfall. Only 2 to 8 inches (5 to 20 centimeters) of rain falls annually in the Jordan River Valley. Agriculture there depends on irrigation. Some areas of the highlands receive 25 inches (64 centimeters) or more of rain a year. The West Bank’s main river is the Jordan. The Dead Sea, the only lake, is on the southeast border. Its shore, which lies about 1,411 feet (430 meters) below sea level, is the lowest place on Earth’s surface.
Economy.
The West Bank has a developing economy. It has a small amount of fertile land. Its only important natural resource is stone quarried for use as building material. Agriculture, which centers on the growing of citrus fruits and olives, is the most important economic activity. But water shortages limit expansion of agricultural production. The few industries are small. They include crafts, food processing, and textiles.
The West Bank has a fairly good road system but no railroads. Radio and television programs that are broadcast in the West Bank originate in Israel, Jordan, and Syria. Several Arabic language newspapers are published in the territory.
History and government.
In the 1200’s B.C., the Israelites settled in the West Bank. The Philistines settled there at about the same time. Later, the area was ruled by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Romans.
In the A.D. 600’s, Arab Muslim armies conquered the West Bank. The territory was part of a series of Muslim empires almost continuously from then until the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I in 1918. In 1920, as an element of a post-World War I international agreement, the West Bank became part of the British mandate of Palestine. According to the mandate, the United Kingdom was to help Jews in Palestine establish a Jewish homeland. In 1947, the UN voted to divide the mandate into an Arab state and a Jewish state. The Palestinian Arabs rejected this plan. Their Arab allies attacked Israel in May 1948, the day after that country was established as a Jewish state. Jordan occupied the West Bank when the war ended in 1949. It annexed the territory in 1950.
In 1967, Israel defeated Jordan, Egypt, and Syria in what Israelis call the Six-Day War, and Arabs call the June War. Israel captured the West Bank, as well as the Arab lands of the Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, and Sinai Peninsula. In 1974, King Hussein of Jordan gave up his government’s responsibility for the West Bank to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). In 1988, Jordan ended financial and administrative support it had continued to give the West Bank. Later that year, the PLO declared an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. However, Israel continued to occupy and, in effect, govern both territories. During the late 1980’s, violence erupted between Israeli troops and Palestinians protesting the Israeli occupation.
In 1972, Israel began allowing West Bank Palestinians to elect and operate municipal and village government councils. But the councils had little power. Beginning in 1993, however, Israel and the PLO signed several agreements that led to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from portions of the West Bank and most of the Gaza Strip. As the Israelis withdrew, the areas came under Palestinian control. In January 1996, Palestinians in the Palestinian-controlled parts of the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip elected a legislature and a president for these areas.
By the end of the 1990’s, Israel still occupied more than half of the West Bank. In 2000, Israeli and Palestinian leaders failed to reach a final peace settlement. Later that year, violence again erupted between Palestinians and Israeli forces. The struggle involved numerous attacks on Israelis by Palestinian suicide bombers and a widespread Israeli military campaign in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In 2002, Israel reoccupied most West Bank cities from which it had previously withdrawn. That same year, Israel began constructing a barrier to separate most of the West Bank from Israel. On Aug. 15, 2005, the Israeli government began the evacuation of all Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements. Many settlers protested the evacuation, and Israeli troops forcibly removed them. The evacuation was completed on August 23. There are still about 120 Jewish settlements in the West Bank. In July 2006, Hezbollah missiles landed in the West Bank during the Lebanese conflict.
