Occupied Palestinian territories

"Palestinian territories" redirects here. For other uses, see Palestinian territories (disambiguation).

Palestinian territories
الأراضي الفلسطينية
al-Arāḍī al-Filasṭīniyya
Flag of Palestinian territories
Location of Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories according to a Green Line based definition
Palestinian territories according to a Green Line based definition
Largest cities
Languages
Ethnic groups
Demonym(s)
Area
• Total
6,220 km2 (2,400 sq mi)
• Water (%)
3.5
• West Bank
5,860 km2[1]
(of which Dead Sea: 220 km2)
• Gaza Strip
360 km2[2]
Population
• Palestinians (2016)
4,816,503[3]
• Settlers (2012)
564,000[5]
• 2007 census
3,719,189 (Pal.)[3][4]
• Density
654[4]/km2 (1,693.9/sq mi)
HDI (2010)0.645[6]
medium (97th)
Currency
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (EEST)
Drives onright
Calling code+970d
ISO 3166 codePS
Internet TLD
  1. Used in Gaza Strip since 1951.
  2. Used since 1985.
  3. Used in West Bank since 1950.
  4. +972 also used.

The occupied Palestinian territories, also referred to as the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the Palestinian territories, consist of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip—two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967. These territories make up the State of Palestine, which was self-declared by the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1988 and is recognized by 146 out of 193 UN member states.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) employed the term Occupied Palestinian Territory in its advisory opinion of July 2004, titled "Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory".[7][8] In its July 2024 advisory opinion, titled "Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem", the ICJ wrote "Territorial scope — Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 encompassing the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip — The 'Occupied Palestinian Territory' constituting, from legal standpoint, a single territorial unit."[9] The term Occupied Palestinian Territory was used by the United Nations and other international organizations between October 1999[10] and December 2012 to refer to areas controlled by the Palestinian National Authority. Since 2012, when Palestine was admitted as one of its non-member observer state, the United Nations has been using the name State of Palestine to describe the political entity[11][12][13][14] but continues to use Occupied Palestinian Territory to describe the physical territory.[15][16][17] The European Union (EU) also uses the term Occupied Palestinian Territory.[18][19] The government of Israel and its supporters refer to these areas as "disputed territories".[20]

The Gaza Strip and the West Bank were occupied by Egypt and Jordan, respectively, since the 1948 Arab–Israeli War until the Six-Day War of 1967. In 1967, Israel occupied both territories and has since maintained control. In 1980, Israel absorbed East Jerusalem and proclaimed the entire to be its capital. The inclusion, though never formally amounting to legal annexation, was condemned internationally[21] and declared "null and void" by the United Nations General Assembly.[22][23] The Palestinian National Authority, the United Nations,[24] international legal and humanitarian bodies[25][26] and the broader international community[27][28] regard East Jerusalem as part of the West Bank, and consequently, part of the Palestinian territories. The Palestinian National Authority never exercised sovereignty over the area, although it housed its offices in Orient House and several other buildings as an assertion of its sovereign interests.[29][30] Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem has not been recognized by the International community on the grounds that the unilateral annexation of territory occupied during war contravenes the Fourth Geneva Convention.[31][32] The World Bank estimates the annual cost to the Palestinian economy of Israeli occupation at $3.4 billion in 2013.[33] The cost of the occupation for Israel over four decades (1967–2007) is estimated to be $50 billion.[34]

In 1988, with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) intention to declare a Palestinian State, Jordan renounced all territorial claims to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.[35] In 1993, following the Oslo Accords, parts of the territories politically came under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority (Palestinian enclaves, technically known as Areas A and B). Israel still exercised full military and civil control over 61% of the West Bank (Area C). The Oslo Accords established access to the sea for Gaza within 20 nautical miles from the shore. In the context of the Gaza–Israel conflict, the Berlin Commitment of 2002 reduced this to 12 miles (19 km). In October 2006, Israel imposed a 6-mile limit, and at the conclusion of the 2008–2009 Gaza War restricted access to a 3-nautical-mile limit, beyond which a no-go zone exists. As a result, in 2012 more than 3,000 Palestinian fishermen were denied access to 85% of the maritime areas agreed to in 1995.[36] The majority of the Dead Sea area is off-limits to Palestinian use, and Palestinians are denied access to its coastline.[37]

Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip in 2005. The Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007 divided the Palestinian territories politically. Abbas's Fatah largely ruled the West Bank and was recognized internationally as the official Palestinian (National) Authority.[38] In 2009, the UN considered the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to still be occupied by Israel.[12]

On 29 November 2012, UNGA 67/19 reaffirmed "the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to independence in their State of Palestine on the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967" and decided "to accord to Palestine non-member observer State status in the United Nations". The next month, a UN legal memorandum recognized Palestine's preference of the name "State of Palestine" with Mahmoud Abbas as its current leader.[39] It was noted that there was no legal impediment to using the designation 'Palestine' to refer to the geographical area of the Palestinian territory. It was also explained that there was also no bar to the continued use of the term "Occupied Palestinian Territory including East Jerusalem" or such other terminology as might customarily be used by the UN General Assembly.[40] The ISO adopted the name change in 2013.[41] The UN Security Council continues to treat Palestine as a non-sovereign entity,[42] preventing its admission to the UN General Assembly as a full member state.[43] Israeli governments have maintained that the area involved is within territorial dispute.[44][45][better source needed] The extent of the territories, while subject to future negotiations, have frequently been revendicated by the Palestinian (National) Authority as the Green Line. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, 146 UN Member Nations have recognized the State of Palestine. It has not been recognized by Israel and most Western nations, including the United States.

In 2014, Fatah and Hamas agreed to hold elections and form a compromise Unity Government.[46] The government survived the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict,[47] but dissolved on 17 June 2015 after President Abbas said it was unable to operate in the Gaza Strip.

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Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "CIA – The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  2. ^ "CIA – The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Estimated Population in the Palestinian Territory Mid-Year by Governorate, 1997–2016". State of Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 8 June 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). On the Eve of International Population Day 11/7/2009" (PDF). pcbs.gov.ps. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference PCBS_settlements_2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Human Development Reports" (PDF). Human Development Reports. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "International Court of Justice Reports of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders – Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Advisory Opinion of 9 July 2004 ". Retrieved 11 August 2013
  8. ^ Ben-Naftali, Orna; Gross, Aeyel M.; Michaeli, Keren (2005). "Illegal Occupation:Framing the Occupied Palestinian Territory". Berkeley Journal of International Law. 23 (3): 552. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2018. "gradually substituting the terms....Palestinian occupied territories
  9. ^ International Court of Justice (19 July 2024). "Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem" (PDF). International Court of Justice. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  10. ^ "ISO 3166-1 Newsletter No. V-2" (PDF). International Organization for Standardization. 1 October 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2011.
  11. ^ Le More, Anne (2008). International assistance to the Palestinians after Oslo: political guilt, wasted money. Routledge studies on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Vol. 1. London and New York: Routledge. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-415-45385-1.
  12. ^ a b "December Overview" (PDF). UNOCHA. December 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
  13. ^ "Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem: Report of the Secretary-General (UN Doc. A/71/364)". United Nations. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  14. ^ Le More, Anne (2008). International assistance to the Palestinians after Oslo: political guilt, wasted money. Routledge studies on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Vol. 1. London and New York: Routledge. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-415-45385-1.
  15. ^ "Settlement Expansion in Occupied Palestinian Territory Violates International Law, Must Cease, Many Delegates Tell Security Council | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". press.un.org. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Occupied Palestinian Territory | OCHA". www.unocha.org. 21 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  17. ^ "United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - occupied Palestinian territory | Home Page". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - occupied Palestinian territory. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  18. ^ "European Union, Trade in goods with Occupied Palestinian Territory" (PDF). European Commission / Directorate-General for Trade. 4 November 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Council conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process". Council of the European Union. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016. The Council highlights the importance of unhindered work of civil society both in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory and follows recent developments in this regard with concern.
  20. ^ "Occupied Territories or Disputed Territories?". Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  21. ^ Jonathan Kuttab; Claude Klein (2000). "5. Access to Jerusalem and the Holy Places". Jerusalem:Points Beyond Friction and Beyond. Kluwer Law International. p. 68. ISBN 9041188436.
  22. ^ Barahona, Ana (2013). Bearing Witness – Eight weeks in Palestine. London: Metete. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-908099-02-0.
  23. ^ "United Nations Position on Jerusalem Unchanged, Special Coordinator Stresses, as Security Council Debates United States Recognition of City | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". press.un.org. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  24. ^ Resolution 446, Resolution 465, Resolution 484, among others
  25. ^ "Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory". International Court of Justice. 9 July 2004. Archived from the original on 28 August 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2006.
  26. ^ "Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention: statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross". International Committee of the Red Cross. 5 December 2001. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2006.
  27. ^ "Applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and the other occupied Arab territories". United Nations. 17 December 2003. Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2006.
  28. ^ "EU-Settlements Watch" (PDF). 1 February – 31 July 2002. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 September 2009.
  29. ^ Shlomo Slonim, Jerusalem in America's Foreign Policy: 1947–1997, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1998 pp.332–333.
  30. ^ Menachem Klein, ['Jerusalem: The Contested City,'] C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2001 pp.189ff., passim.
  31. ^ Korman, Sharon (31 October 1996). The Right of Conquest: The Acquisition of Territory by Force in International Law and Practice. Clarendon Press. ISBN 9780191583803 – via Google Books.
  32. ^ Dugard, John (1987). Recognition and the United Nations. Cambridge: Grotius Publications Limited. pp. 111–115. ISBN 0-521-46322-X.
  33. ^ 'Occupation costs Palestinians 'billions',' Al Jazeera, 9 October 2013
  34. ^ 'Cost of occupation – over $50 billion,' Ynet, 9 June 2007
  35. ^ Human Rights Watch, 1 February 2010; Stateless Again – II. International and Jordanian Law
  36. ^ 'Gaza in 2020: A liveable place?', UNRWA, August 2012
  37. ^ 'Humanitarian Fact Sheet on the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea Area,' Archived 7 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine OCHA, February 2012.
  38. ^ "Hamas leader's Tunisia visit angers Palestinian officials". Al Arabiya. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  39. ^ O'Brien, Patricia (21 December 2012). "Issues related to General assembly resolution 67/19 on the status of Palestine in the United nations" (PDF). United Nations. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  40. ^ Gharib, Ali (20 December 2012). "U.N. Adds New Name: "State of Palestine"". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  41. ^ "Name change for State of Palestine and other minor corrections" (PDF). International Organization for Standardization. 3 November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2013.
  42. ^ McHigh, Jess (19 August 2015). "Israel-Palestine Conflict: French UN Security Council Resolution Off The Table in Favor of Palestinian Statehood?". International Business Times. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  43. ^ United Nations. "UN Charter". United Nations. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  44. ^ FAQ: The Peace process with the Palestinians – Dec 2009. Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  45. ^ From "Occupied Territories" to "Disputed Territories," by Dore Gold Archived 9 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Jcpa.org. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  46. ^ Keinon, Herb. "Politics: Fatah-Hamas unity talks breed Likud harmony". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  47. ^ "Set 'timetable' to end Israeli occupation, Palestine to UN". Arab Herald. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.