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SWEG BRUH PLAESTINE ARE BOMBERS BRUH GO ISRAEL
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{distinguish2|[[Palestine]] (region)}}
{{about|the [[West Bank]] and the [[Gaza Strip]]}}
{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = Palestinian territories
|native_name = {{lang|ar|{{big|الأراضي الفلسطينية}}}}
|common_name = Palestinian territories
|linking_name = the Palestinian territories
|image_flag =
|image_coat =
|image_map = Occupied Palestinian Territories.jpg
|map_caption = Palestinian Territories, marked by the [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]]
|image_map2 = Palestinian territories - Location Map (2013) - PSE - UNOCHA.svg
|map2_width = 250px
|demonym = {{hlist |[[Palestinian people|Palestinians]] |[[Israeli settlers]]}}
|languages = {{hlist|[[Arabic language|Arabic]]|[[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]}}
|languages_type = Languages
|largest_settlement_type = cities
|largest_settlement = {{hlist |[[East Jerusalem]] |[[Gaza City|Gaza]] |[[Hebron]] |[[Nablus]] |[[Khan Yunis]]}}
|area_km2 = 6,220
|area_footnote =
{{unbulleted list
| {{nowrap|{{pad|0.5em}}[[West Bank]]: 5,860 km<sup>2</sup><ref name="CIAwe">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/we.html |title=CIA - The World Factbook |publisher=cia.gov |date= |accessdate=28 November 2012}}</ref>}}<!--
--><br />{{nowrap|{{pad|1.0em}}{{small|(of which [[Dead Sea]]: 220 km<sup>2</sup>)}}}}
| {{pad|0.5em}}[[Gaza Strip]]: 360 km<sup>2</sup><ref name="CIAgz">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gz.html |title=CIA - The World Factbook |publisher=cia.gov |date= |accessdate=28 November 2012}}</ref>
}}
|area_sq_mi = 2,402
|percent_water = 3.5
|ethnic_groups = {{hlist |[[Arabs]]|[[Jews]]}}
|population_census = 3,719,189 (Pal.)<ref name="Ref_pop">http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_Rainbow/Documents/gover_e.htm</ref><ref name="pna_rel">http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/PressRelease/population_dE.pdf</ref>
|population_census_year = 2007
|population_label2 = Palestinians (2014)
|population_data2 = 4,550,000<ref name="Ref_pop"/>
|population_label3 = Settlers (2012)
|population_data3 = 564,000<ref name=PCBS_settlements_2012/>
|population_density_km2 = 654<ref name="pna_rel"/>
|population_density_sq_mi = 1,694

|GDP_PPP = |GDP_PPP_rank = |GDP_PPP_year = |GDP_PPP_per_capita = |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =
|Gini_year = |Gini_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady--> |Gini = <!--number only--> |Gini_ref = |Gini_rank =
|HDI_year = 2010
|HDI_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
|HDI = 0.645 <!--number only-->
|HDI_ref = <ref>http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/Lets-Talk-HD-HDI_2010.pdf</ref>
|HDI_rank = 97th
|currency= {{unbulleted list |[[Egyptian pound]]<sup>a</sup> ([[ISO 4217|EGP]]) |[[Israeli new sheqel]]<sup>b</sup> (ILS) |[[Jordanian dinar]]<sup>c</sup> (JOD)}}
|country_code = PS, IL
|time_zone =
|utc_offset = +2
|time_zone_DST =
|utc_offset_DST = +3
|drives_on=right
|calling_code = [[+970]]<sup>d</sup>
|cctld = {{unbulleted list |[[.ps]] |[[فلسطين.]]}}
|footnote_a = Used in [[Gaza Strip]] since 1951.
|footnote_b = Used since 1985.
|footnote_c = Used in [[West Bank]] since 1950.
|footnote_d = [[Telephone numbers in Israel|+972]] also used.
}}

The '''Palestinian territories''' or '''occupied Palestinian territories''' ('''OPT''' or '''oPt''') comprise the [[West Bank]] (including [[East Jerusalem]]) and the [[Gaza Strip]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.gov/p/nea/ci/pt/ |title=Palestinian Territories |publisher=State.gov |date=22 April 2008 |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref><ref>[http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/BA123CDED3EA84A5852560E50077C2DC Resolution 446 (1979)]; 22 March 1979 (doc.nr. S/RES/446 (1979))</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Le More|first=Anne|title=International assistance to the Palestinians after Oslo: political guilt, wasted money|volume=1|series=Routledge studies on the Arab-Israeli conflict|publisher=[[Routledge]]|location=London and New York | isbn= 978-0-415-45385-1 |year=2008|page=27}}</ref><ref name=UNOCHADec2009>{{cite web|url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_the_humanitarian_monitor_2010_01_18_english.pdf|format=PDF|title=December Overview|publisher=[[UNOCHA]]|date=December 2009|accessdate=3 January 2010}}</ref>
The boundaries, subject to future negotiations, are generally regarded by the international community as being defined by the [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]].

Israel [[Israeli-occupied territories|occupied the territories]] of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the [[Six-Day War]] of 1967, which had been earlier occupied by [[Jordanian occupation of the West Bank|Jordan]] and [[Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt|Egypt]] respectively, and has maintained control of them since.

In 1980, [[Israel]] officially [[Jerusalem Law|annexed]] East Jerusalem and considers the whole of Jerusalem to be its capital. The annexation was condemned internationally<ref name=j-pbfb>{{cite book|author1=Jonathan Kuttab|author2=Claude Klein|title=Jerusalem:Points Beyond Friction and Beyond|date=2000|publisher=Kluwer Law International|isbn=9041188436|page=68|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=9evpVS_ackwC&pg=PA68|chapter=5. Access to Jerusalem and the Holy Places}}</ref> and declared "null and void" by the [[United Nations Security Council]].<ref>[http://network23.org/ana/escritos/dando-testimonio-el-libro/primer-domingo-de-jerusalen-a-ramala/ De Jerusalen a Ramala(2013)(Retrieved 5 May 2013)]</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Barahona|first=Ana|title=Bearing Witness - Eight weeks in Palestine|publisher=Metete|location=London| isbn= 978-1-908099-02-0|year=2013|page=12}}</ref> The Palestinian National Authority, the [[United Nations]],<ref>[[UN Security Council Resolution 446|Resolution 446]], [[UN Security Council Resolution 465|Resolution 465]], Resolution 484, among others</ref> the international legal and humanitarian bodies<ref>{{cite web |title=Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory |publisher=[[International Court of Justice]] |date=9 July 2004 |url=http://domino.un.org/UNISPAl.NSF/85255e950050831085255e95004fa9c3/3740e39487a5428a85256ecc005e157a |accessdate=27 September 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention: statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross |publisher=[[International Committee of the Red Cross]] |date=5 December 2001 |url=http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/5fldpj.htm |accessdate=27 September 2006}}</ref> and the international community <ref>{{cite web |title=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 |publisher=United Nations |date=17 December 2003 |url=http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/97360ee7a29e68a085256df900723485/d6f5d7049734efff85256e1200677754 |accessdate=27 September 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/2004/12/22/%7B3FA161D9-6DA6-408F-85CE-20D0EC68DDFF%7D.pdf |title=EU-Settlements Watch |date=1 February&nbsp;– 31 July 2002}}</ref> regard [[East Jerusalem]] as part of the West Bank, and consequently a part of the Palestinian territories. The [[Palestinian National Authority]] never exercised sovereignty over the area. Israeli sovereignty, however, has not been recognized by any country, since the unilateral annexation of territory occupied during war contravenes the Fourth Geneva Convention.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=ueDO1dJyjrUC&pg=PA257&dq=territorial+annexation+through+conflict+Jerusalem&hl=en&ei=Tse3TMHICIX6lwfJxJ2WCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=territorial%20annexation%20through%20conflict%20Jerusalem&f=false The Right of Conquest] By Sharon Korman</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Dugard |first=John |title=Recognition and the United Nations |year=1987 |publisher=Cambridge: Grotius Publications Limited |isbn=0-521-46322-X |pages=111–115}}</ref>

In 1988, with the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) intention to declare a Palestinian State, Jordan [[Jordan's disengagement from the West Bank|renounced all territorial claims]] to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.<ref>Human Rights Watch, 1 February 2010; [http://www.hrw.org/en/node/87905/section/4#_ftnref39 ''Stateless Again&nbsp;– II. International and Jordanian Law'']</ref> Since the [[Palestinian Declaration of Independence]] in 1988, approximately [[International recognition of the State of Palestine|130 UN Member Nations]] have recognized the [[State of Palestine]], comprising the Palestinian territories. It has not been recognized by [[Israel]] and some [[Western world|Western nations]], including the [[United States]].

In 1993, following the [[Oslo Accords]], [[Administrative divisions of the Oslo Accords|parts]] of the territories [[Political status of the Palestinian territories|politically]] came under the jurisdiction of the [[Palestinian National Authority]] ([[Administrative divisions of the Oslo Accords|Areas A and B]]). [[Israel]] still exercises full military control and, civil control over 61% of the West Bank ([[Administrative divisions of the Oslo Accords|Area C]]). The [[Oslo Accords]] established access to the sea for Gaza within 20 nautical miles from the shore. The Berlin Commitment of 2002 reduced this to {{convert|12|mi|0|abbr=out}}. In October 2006 Israel imposed a 6-mile limit, and at the conclusion of the [[Gaza War (2008–09)|Gaza War]] restricted access to a 3-nautical-mile limit, beyond which a no-go zone exists. As a result, over 3,000 fishermen are denied access to 85% of the maritime areas agreed to in 1995.<ref>[http://unispal.un.org/pdfs/GazaIn2020.pdf 'Gaza in 2020: A liveable place?,'] [[UNRWA]], August 2012</ref> The majority of the [[Dead Sea]] area is off-limits to Palestinian use, and Palestinians are denied access to its coast line.<ref>[http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_jordan_valley_factSheet_february_2012_english.pdf 'Humanitarian Fact Sheet on the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea Area,'] [[OCHA]], February 2012.</ref>

Israel [[Israeli disengagement from Gaza|disengaged]] from the Gaza strip in 2005. However, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are still considered to be occupied by [[Israel]] according to the international community.<ref name=UNOCHADec2009 /> The Hamas [[Battle of Gaza (2007)|takeover]] of Gaza in 2007 divided the Palestinian territories politically, with Abbas’s [[Fatah]] left largely ruling the West Bank and recognized internationally as the official [[Palestinian Authority]] (see: [[Fatah-Hamas conflict]]).<ref name=alarabiya0701>{{cite web |author=<!--[if IE 6]> <![endif]--> |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/07/186930.html |title=''Hamas leader’s Tunisia visit angers Palestinian officials'' |publisher=English.alarabiya.net |date=7 January 2012 |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref> In 2014, there was an [[2014 Fatah–Hamas Gaza Agreement|agreement]] between the two political groups to hold elections and form a compromise unity government.<ref name=jPostUnity>{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Features/In-Thespotlight/Politics-Fatah-Hamas-unity-talks-breed-Likud-harmony-351723|title=Politics: Fatah-Hamas unity talks breed Likud harmony|publisher=''The Jerusalem Post''|accessdate=21 June 2014|first=Herb|last=Keinon}}</ref> The [[2014 Israel-Gaza conflict]] intervened, however the unity government survived.<ref name="PLOun">{{cite news|title=Set 'timetable' to end Israeli occupation, Palestine to UN|url=http://www.arabherald.com/index.php/sid/225199125|date=28 August 2014|accessdate=28 August 2014|publisher=''Arab Herald''}}</ref>
{{Palestinians}}

== Name ==
{{see also|History of Palestine|Timeline of the name Palestine}}

There are disagreements over what the Palestinian territories should be called. The [[United Nations]], the [[European Union]], [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] and the government of the [[United Kingdom]] all refer to the "Occupied Palestinian Territories".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/middle-east-north-africa/palestine-national-authority |title=Country Profile: The Occupied Palestinian Territories |publisher=Fco.gov.uk |date=26 March 2012 |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmintdev/230/230.pdf |title=House of Commons International Development Committee - FINAL REPORT Vol I 26 January 2004 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/report/palestine-report-131207.htm |title=The occupied Palestinian territories: Dignity Denied |publisher=International Committee of the Red Cross |date=13 December 2007 |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref> The [[International Court of Justice]] refers to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as "the Occupied Palestinian Territory" and this term is used as the legal definition by the International Court of Justice in the ruling in July 2004.<ref>[http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/131/1671.pdf] "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</ref>

Journalists also use the description to indicate lands outside the ''[[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]]''.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} The term is often used interchangeably with the term [[Israeli-occupied territories|occupied territories]], although this term is also applied to the [[Golan Heights]], which is internationally recognized as part of [[Syria]] and not claimed by the Palestinians. The confusion stems from the fact that all these territories were captured by Israel during the 1967 [[Six-Day War]] and are treated by the UN as territory occupied by Israel.

Other terms used to describe these areas collectively include "the disputed territories", and "[[Israeli-occupied territories]]". Further terms include "Palestine", "[[State of Palestine]]", "[[Yesha]]" (Judea-Samaria-Gaza), "Yosh" (Judea and Samaria), the "Katif Strip" (Gaza Strip), "Palestinian Autonomous Areas"<ref name="collinsdictionary1">{{cite web |url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/palestinian-autonomous-areas |title=Definition of Palestinian Autonomous Areas |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |date= |accessdate=28 November 2012}}</ref> (although this term is also used to specifically refer to Area's A and B),<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/enwiki/static/in_depth/world/2001/israel_and_palestinians/key_maps/pal_west.stm |title=In Depth &#124; World &#124; Israel and the Palestinians |publisher=BBC News |date= |accessdate=3 January 2013}}</ref> "Palestinian Administered Territories",<ref name="collinsdictionary1"/> "[[administered territories]]", "territories of undetermined permanent status", "1967 territories", and simply "the territories".

Many Arab and Islamic leaders,{{Who|date=October 2009}} including some Palestinians,{{Who|date=October 2009}} use the designation "Palestine" and "occupied Palestine" to imply a Palestinian political or religious claim to [[sovereignty]] over the whole former territory of the British Mandate west of the [[Jordan River]], including all of Israel.<ref>See, for example,[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/mideast/hamas.htm The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement 18 August 1988] {{dead link|date=July 2012}}</ref> Many{{Who|date=October 2009}} of them view the land of Palestine as an Islamic [[Waqf]] (trust) for future Muslim generations. A parallel exists in the aspirations of David Ben-Gurion,<ref name="Britlabour and Zionism">{{cite book |title=The British labour movement and Zionism, 1917-1948 |year=1983 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7146-3162-2 |page=138 |author=Joseph Gorny, Yosef Gorni |quote=The Jewish people have always regarded, and will continue to regard Palestine as a whole, as a single country which is theirs in a national sense and will become theirs once again. No Jew{{dubious|date=May 2013}} will accept partition as a just and rightful solution.}}</ref> Menachem Begin,<ref name="Avi Shlaim">{{cite book |last=Shlaim |first=Avi |title=The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World |year=2008 |publisher=Paw Prints |isbn=978-1-4352-9513-1 |page=670}}</ref> and other Zionists and Jewish religious leaders{{Who|date=October 2009}} to establish Jewish sovereignty over all of [[Greater Israel]] in trust for the Jewish people.<ref>See, for example, [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3596946,00.html Open a Bible]</ref><ref>The [http://www.knesset.gov.il/elections/knesset15/elikud_m.htm Likud—Platform] states "The Government of Israel flatly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan River. The Palestinians can run their lives freely in the framework of self-rule, but not as an independent and sovereign state."</ref> However, this dispute is not related to religion for many Arabs, but simply an issue of rights, as the land was inhabited by Arabs (as well as a minority of Jews) before the Zionist movement began.<ref name="Jews, Muslims and Christians">{{Cite book|last=Barahona|first=Ana|title=Bearing Witness - Eight weeks in Palestine|publisher=Metete|location=London| isbn= 978-1-908099-02-0|year=2013|page=77}}</ref>

Many [[Israelis]]{{Who|date=February 2010}} object to the term "Occupied Palestinian Territories" and similar descriptions because they maintain such designations disregard Israeli claims to the West Bank and Gaza, or prejudice negotiations involving possible border changes, arguing that the armistice line agreed to after the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]] was not intended as a permanent border. [[Dore Gold]] wrote, "It would be far more accurate to describe the West Bank and Gaza Strip as "disputed territories" to which both Israelis and Palestinians have claims."<ref>[From 'Occupied Territories' to 'Disputed Territories,' Dore Gold, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=380&PID=1864&IID=1115]</ref>

== Boundaries ==
{{see also|Borders of Israel}}
[[File:Gz-map2.png|right|thumb|Map of the [[Gaza Strip]]]]
[[File:We-map.png|thumb|upright|Map of the [[West Bank]]]]

The Palestinian Territories consist of two distinct areas: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The boundaries are defined by the "1967 borders", which correspond with the [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]]. The Green Line represents the armistice lines under the [[1949 Armistice Agreements]], which brought an end to the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]] and expressly declared armistice lines, not international borders. Some Palestinian negotiators have claimed a return to those lines as the boundary for a future Palestinian state, while Hamas does not recognize the State of Israel at all.<ref>[http://untreaty.un.org/unts/144078_158780/11/6/4045.pdf ]{{dead link|date=December 2012}}</ref> The [[Arab League]] has supported these boundaries as the borders of the future [[State of Palestine]] in the 2002 [[Arab Peace Initiative]].

The eastern limit of the West Bank is the border with [[Jordan]]. The [[Israel–Jordan Treaty of Peace|Israel–Jordan peace treaty]] defined that border as the [[international border]], and Jordan renounced all claims to territory west of it. The border segment between Jordan and the West Bank was left undefined pending a definitive agreement on the status of the territory.<ref>[http://untreaty.un.org/unts/144078_158780/11/6/4045.pdf ]{{dead link|date=November 2012}}</ref>

The southern limit of the Gaza Strip is the border with [[Egypt]]. Egypt renounced all claims to land north of the international border, including the Gaza Strip, in the [[Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty|Israel-Egypt peace treaty]]. The Palestinians were not parties to either agreement.

The Gaza Strip is bounded by the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. The natural geographic boundary of the West Bank, as the name implies, is the [[Jordan River]]. To the Territories belong the territorial waters of the Gaza Strip and the part of the [[Dead Sea]] between the West Bank and the Jordan border-line (see adjacent CIA-map),<ref name="CIAwe"/> which are also completely controlled by Israel.

=== Palestinian state ===
{{see also|UN General Assembly Resolution 67/19}}

The Palestinian territories are part of the area intended by the United Nations to become the territory of the future [[State of Palestine]].<ref name='Res 58/292'/> Originally, a larger area was allotted to the planned Palestinian state in [[Resolution 181]] of 29 November 1947, but the Arabs rejected it and in the [[1948 Palestine war]], the Israeli army conquered major parts of it. While in the ''Partition Plan'' about 45% of historic Palestine was destined for the Arabic state, the Palestinian territories constitute only some 23%.<ref name=CIA>Based on figures of the [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/wfbExt/region_mde.html CIA World Factbook]. The Factbook estimates the land area of Israel (excluding the Golan Heights) 20,330 square kilometer, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem, but excluding Mt. Scopus) 5,640 and the Gaza Strip 360.</ref> The last figure is including all space occupied by [[Israeli settlement]]s, [[Israeli West Bank barrier|walls]] and [[Highway 60 (Israel)#Bypass roads|roads]].

In the UN, nearly all countries voted in favour of [[Resolution 58/292]] of 17 May 2004; namely, that the boundaries of a future Palestinian state should be based on the pre-1967 borders, which correspond with the Green Line. The Resolution affirmed, in connection with the Palestinian right to self-determination and to sovereignty, that the independent State of Palestine should be based on the pre-1967 borders.<ref name='Res 58/292'>[http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/A2C2938216B39DE485256EA70070C849 ''Resolution 58/292. Status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem'']; 17 May 2004 (doc.nr. A/RES/58/292)</ref> In [[Resolution 43/177]] of 15 December 1988, the declaration of independence of the [[State of Palestine]] was acknowledged by the [[UN General Assembly]],<ref>UNGA, ; [http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/146E6838D505833F852560D600471E25 ''Resolution 43/177. Question of Palestine''] (doc.nr. A/RES/43/177)</ref> but it was not admitted as a member state. In the same resolution, their sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territories was recognized.

On 29 November 2012, the [[UN General Assembly]] passed [[United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19]] changing Palestine's observer status at the UN from "entity" to "non-member state" by a vote of 138 to 9, with 41 abstentions.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/29/us-palestinians-statehood-idUSBRE8AR0EG20121129 |title=Palestinians win implicit U.N. recognition of sovereign state |date=29 November 2012 |publisher=Reuters |accessdate=29 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.3news.co.nz/LIVE-STREAM-Palestine-asks-United-Nations-for-a-birth-certificate-ahead-of-vote/tabid/417/articleID/278702/Default.aspx |work=3 News NZ |title=UN makes Palestine nonmember state |date=30 November 2012}}</ref>

=== Capital East Jerusalem ===
In 1980, Israel annexed East Jerusalem. The annexation lacks international recognition. Seven UNSC resolutions, including [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 478]] declared it "null and void" and required that it be rescinded, stating that it was a violation of international law (the [[Fourth Geneva Convention]]). The United Nations never explicitly recognized Jerusalem as part of either Israel or Palestine, as [[Resolution 181|Resolution 181 (1947)]] was never revoked. In Resolution 181, Jerusalem was intended to become a ''[[Corpus separatum (Jerusalem)|corpus separatum]]'' under international regime. Nevertheless, most countries, including the United States, implicitly recognize West Jerusalem as part of Israel, but do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/07/2012730225848752676.html |title=''Palestinians accuse Romney of "racist" remark'' |publisher=Aljazeera.com |date= |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Associated |first=The |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/romney-calling-jerusalem-israel-s-capital-is-unacceptable-says-erekat-1.454662 |title=''Romney calling Jerusalem Israel's capital is 'unacceptable,' says Erekat'' |publisher=Haaretz.com |date=30 July 2012 |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2014|reason=Both sources have the same quote: "Most of the world, including the U.S., does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The U.S. and others keep their embassies in Tel Aviv." There is no mention of West Jerusalem at all.}}

Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state. East Jerusalem is generally recognized as part of the Palestinian Territories. In [[List of United Nations resolutions concerning Israel|UN resolutions concerning Israel]], East Jerusalem is routinely referred to as part of the West Bank or as part of the Palestinian Territories.<ref name='Res 58/292'/>

According to the [[Supreme Court of Israel|Israeli Supreme Court]], the [[Fourth Geneva Convention]], which prohibits unilateral annexation of occupied territory, does not{{dubious|date=May 2013}} apply to East Jerusalem, as there was no{{dubious|date=May 2013}} "legitimate sovereign"{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} recognised by Israel and its allies previously excercising control over the territory. In Israel, there has always been large support for remaining all of Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty. A few times, there were Israeli or U.S. proposals to divide East Jerusalem between Israel and the Palestinians. In the 1995 [[Beilin-Abu Mazen agreement]], Israeli negotiators proposed Palestinian sovereignty over some Arab neighborhoods within an expanded Jerusalem that would include annexed Israeli neighborhoods and major [[Israeli settlement|settlement blocs]]. In 2000, U.S. president Bill Clinton offered a similar proposal in his [[Clinton Parameters]]. In more recent years, the Israeli position has strongly been favourable to keeping all of Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty.

=== Gaza Strip ===
In 2005, Israel pulled all its remaining forces out of the Gaza Strip and dismantled its settlements. Nevertheless, according to the international community, the Gaza Strip is still considered to be occupied by Israel.<ref name=UNOCHADec2009 /> Israel has denied that it occupies the Gaza Strip, but three of the borders of the Gaza Strip, the coast and airspace, are controlled by Israel.<ref name=ai-gaza>{{cite web |url=http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/israel-gaza-blockade-must-be-completely-lifted-2010-06-17 |title=''Israel Gaza blockade must be completely lifted'' |publisher=Amnesty.org |date= |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref><ref name=ips-120309>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipsnews.net/2009/03/mideast-border-areas-bombed-again/ |title=MIDEAST: Border Areas Bombed Again |publisher=Ipsnews.net |date=12 March 2009 |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref> The UN ''Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967'' stated in 2007:
<blockquote>Israel remains an occupying Power in respect of Gaza. Arguments that Israel ceased its occupation of Gaza in 2005 following the evacuation of its settlements and the withdrawal of its troops take no account of the fact that Israel retains effective control over Gaza by means of its control over Gaza’s external borders, airspace, territorial waters, population registry, tax revenues and governmental functions. The effectiveness of this control is emphasized by regular military incursions and rocket attacks.<ref>UN Special Rapporteur, [http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/463/16/PDF/N0746316.pdf?OpenElement ''Situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967''] (p.2; see also pp. 8-12). 17 August 2007 (doc.nr. A/62/275)</ref></blockquote>

== Governance ==
{{Politics of Palestine}}
{{see also|Palestinian National Authority|Governance of the Gaza Strip}}

The political status of the territories has been the subject of negotiations between Israel and the [[Palestine Liberation Organization|PLO]] and of numerous statements and resolutions by the United Nations. (See [[List of United Nations resolutions concerning Israel]].) Since 1994, the autonomous [[Palestinian National Authority]] has exercised various degrees of control in large parts of the territories, as a result of the Declaration of Principles contained in the [[Oslo Accords]]. The United States government considers the West Bank and Gaza as a single entity for political, economic, legal and other purposes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1997-03-14/pdf/97-6434.pdf |title=Department of the Treasury, Customs Service, T.D. 97–16, Country of Origin Marking of Products From the West Bank and Gaza |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref> The State Department and other U.S. government agencies, such as USAID West Bank and Gaza,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usaid.gov/wbg/home.html |title=USAID West Bank/Gaza |publisher=Usaid.gov |date= |accessdate=30 June 2010}}{{dead link|date=December 2012}}</ref> have been tasked with projects in the areas of democracy, governance, resources, and infrastructure. Part of the USAID mission is to provide flexible and discrete support for implementation of the Quartet Road Map.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usaid.gov/policy/budget/cbj2005/ane/pdf/294-001.pdf |title=West Bank and Gaza&nbsp;— Strategic Objective: 294-001 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=30 June 2010}}{{dead link|date=December 2012}}</ref> The Road Map is an internationally backed plan that calls for the progressive development of a viable Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza. Participating states provide assistance through direct contributions or through the Palestinian State account established by the World Bank.<ref>{{cite web |author=Embassy of France |url=http://ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article1037 |title=International Donors’ Conferences for the Palestinian State |publisher=Ambafrance-us.org |date= |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Gaza City.JPG|thumb|Gaza City in 2007.]]
After Hamas won a majority of seats in elections for the Palestinian Parliament, the United States and Israel instituted an economic blockade of the Gaza Strip.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/950381.htm British Jewish group sparks outrage with Gaza blockade criticism]{{Dead link|date=June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrb.co.uk/v30/n03/sieg01_.html |title=Gaza’s Future, Henry Siegman, London Review of Books |publisher=Lrb.co.uk |date= |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref> When that failed to topple the new government, a covert operation was launched to eliminate Hamas by force.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/964058.html Bay of Pigs in Gaza, Tom Segev, Haaretz]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/04/usa.israelandthepalestinians |title=US plotted to overthrow Hamas after election victory, Suzanne Goldenberg, The |publisher=Guardian |date= 4 March 2008|accessdate=30 June 2010 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zoa.org/sitedocuments/pressrelease_view.asp?pressreleaseID=104 |title=Rabin Made Mistake Arming Arafat - Olmert Makes Same Mistake Arming Abbas |publisher=Zoa.org |date= |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref> The covert initiative was exposed when confidential State Department documents were accidentally leaked by the U.S. envoy. The talking points delivered to the Fatah leadership said:
<blockquote>
Hamas should be given a clear choice, with a clear deadline: they either accept a new government that meets the Quartet principles, or they reject it. The consequences of Hamas’ decision should also be clear: If Hamas does not agree within the prescribed time, you should make clear your intention to declare a state of emergency and form an emergency government explicitly committed to that platform.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/04/gaza200804?currentPage=3 |title=The Gaza Bombshell, David Rose, Vanity Fair, April 2008, page 3 |publisher=Vanityfair.com |date=20 October 2009 |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Since the [[Battle of Gaza (2007)]], the administration of the territories has been contested by two rival factions of the Palestinian National Authority, with Hamas controlling the Gaza Strip and Fatah continuing to administer the West Bank. Both groups claim legitimacy over leadership of the Palestinian territories. Most countries with an interest in the issues, including most of the Arab countries, recognize the administration of [[Mahmoud Abbas]] as the legitimate government over both Palestinian Territories.{{who|date=November 2010}}

During Operation Cast Lead the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1860 (2009), which said that the Gaza Strip constitutes an integral part of the territory occupied in 1967 that will be a part of the Palestinian state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sc9567.doc.htm |title=See the text of UN Security Council Resolution 1860 (2009) |publisher=Un.org |date=8 January 2009 |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref>

On 15 December 2011, [[Iceland]] recognized Palestine as an independent and sovereign state within the pre-1967 Six-Day War borders; Össur Skarphéðinsson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, and Dr. Riad Malki, the Foreign Minister of Palestine, formally confirmed the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Iceland and Palestine.<ref>[http://eng.utanrikisraduneyti.is/speeches-and-articles/nr/6847 Iceland Recognizes Palestine], Iceland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs.</ref>

In 2014, there was an [[2014 Fatah–Hamas Gaza Agreement|April 2014 agreement]] between the two political groups to hold elections and form a compromise unity government.<ref name=jPostUnity /> The [[2014 Israel-Gaza conflict]] intervened, however the unity government survived. In August 2014, Palestinian leaders said they would apply to the [[United Nations Security Council]] for the establishment of a timetable for ending the Israeli occupation in the West Bank. The application would be made on 15 September 2014, following an [[Arab League]] meeting on 5 September 2014 at which support for the move would be requested. Unless a timetable was established, the Palestinian leadership said it would apply to the [[International Criminal Court]] where it would hold Israel responsible for its actions not only in the West Bank, but in the [[Gaza Strip]].<ref name="PLOun" />

== Political status and sovereignty ==
{{main|Political status of the Palestinian territories}}
{{See also|International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict|Political status of the Palestinian territories|Status of territories captured by Israel}}

The international community regards the West Bank as territories occupied by Israel. Israel has withdrawn its military forces from the Gaza strip, but it continues to be designated the occupying power in the Gaza Strip by the United Nations, the United States and various human rights organizations.<ref>[http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/007/2009/en/4c407b40-e64c-11dd-9917-ed717fa5078d/mde150072009en.html Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories: The conflict in Gaza: A briefing on applicable law, investigations and accountability] Amnesty International. 19 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-05; [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/06/isrlpa13698.htm Human Rights Council Special Session on the Occupied Palestinian Territories] Human Rights Watch, 6 July 2006; [http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/06/israel.gaza.occupation.question/index.html Is Gaza 'occupied' territory?] CNN, 6 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-30.</ref> Hillel Neuer, the executive Director of [[UN Watch]] argues that the co-founder of Hamas, Mahmoud Zahar, has stated that Gaza is no longer occupied since the Israeli withdrawal.<ref>http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Hamas-says-Gaza-not-occupied-UN-disagrees</ref><ref>[http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=449619] "'Against whom could we demonstrate in the Gaza Strip? When Gaza was occupied, that model was applicable,' Zahar said." Retrieved from Ma'an News Agency, 5 January 2012</ref> Zahar has elsewhere referred to the situation in Gaza as an "occupation".<ref>http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2009/02/200928195444472727.html</ref> The final status of the Palestinian Territories as an independent state is supported by the countries that form the [[Quartet on the Middle East|Quartet]]'s "[[Road map for peace]]". The government of Israel has also accepted the road map but with 14 reservations.<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/road1.html Israeli Cabinet Statement on Road Map and 14 Reservations], 25 May 2003</ref>

On Thursday, 29 November 2012, In a 138-9 vote (with 41 abstaining) General Assembly resolution 67/19 passed, upgrading Palestine to "non-member observer state" status in the United Nations.<ref name="unispal1">{{cite web|url=http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/0080ef30efce525585256c38006eacae/181c72112f4d0e0685257ac500515c6c?OpenDocument |title=A/67/L.28 of 26 November 2012 and A/RES/67/19 of 29 November 2012|publisher=Unispal.un.org |date= |accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref><ref name="aljazeera.com">http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2013/01/2013186722389860.html</ref> The new status equates Palestine's with that of the [[Holy See]]. The change in status was described by ''[[The Independent]]'' as "de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine".<ref name="UNStatehoodBid2012accepted">{{cite news |title=Israel defies UN after vote on Palestine with plans for 3,000 new homes in the West Bank|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-defies-un-after-vote-on-palestine-with-plans-for-3000-new-homes-in-the-west-bank-8372494.html|publisher=The Independent|date=1 December 2012}}</ref> The vote was a historic benchmark for the [[diplomatic recognition|partially recognised]] State of Palestine and its citizens, whilst it was a diplomatic setback for Israel and the United States. Status as an observer state in the UN will allow the State of Palestine to join treaties and [[List of specialized agencies of the United Nations|specialised UN agencies]], including the International Civil Aviation Organisation,<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/07/state-of-palestine_n_2425682.html?utm_hp_ref=world Abbas has not taken practical steps toward seeking membership for Palestine in U.N. agencies, something made possible by the November vote]</ref> the International Criminal Court, and other organisations for recognised sovereign nations. It shall permit Palestine to claim legal rights over its territorial waters and air space as a sovereign state recognised by the UN, and allow the Palestinian people the right to sue for control of their claimed territory in the International Court of Justice and to bring war-crimes charges against Israel in the [[International Criminal Court]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Palestinians’ UN upgrade to nonmember observer state: Struggles ahead over possible powers |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/palestinians-un-upgrade-to-nonmember-observer-state-struggles-ahead-over-possible-powers/2012/11/29/8f3c3f78-3a59-11e2-9258-ac7c78d5c680_story.html|publisher=Washington Post|date=30 November 2012}}</ref>

Customary international law, including the International Court of Justice's interpretation of the Fourth Geneva Convention in their July 2004 ruling, has been widely interpreted as prohibiting Israel from building settlements, due to its clauses prohibiting the transfer of a civilian population into an occupied territory.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1632064.stm The Mitchell Report] BBC, 29 November 2001.</ref> This was reaffirmed 5 December 2001, at the Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention. The participating High Contracting Parties called upon Israel "to fully and effectively respect the Fourth Geneva Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and to refrain from perpetrating any violation of the Convention. They reaffirm the illegality of the settlements in the said territories and of the extension thereof."<ref name="domino.un.org">{{cite web |url=http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/85255a0a0010ae82852555340060479d/8fc4f064b9be5bad85256c1400722951 |title=Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention: Declaration |publisher=Domino.un.org |date= |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref> Article 47 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits any change of status in occupied territory concluded through negotiations between the occupying power and local authorities under occupation. This finding also suggests that Israel may be in violation of the Rome Statute (one of the primary legal instruments of the [[International Criminal Court]]), Article 8, section (2)(b)(viii): “The transfer, directly or indirectly, by the Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, or the deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory within or outside this territory” see:.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://untreaty.un.org/cod/icc/statute/romefra.htm |title=Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court |publisher=Untreaty.un.org |date= |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref> Given that [[United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19]] upgraded Palestine to non-member observer state status in November 2012, representatives of Palestine may now be able to take members of the Israeli government to the [[International Criminal Court]] under violations of the Rome Statute. On 31 January 2012, the United Nations independent "International Fact-Finding Mission on Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" filed a report stating that if Israel did not stop all settlement activity immediately and begin withdrawing all settlers from the West Bank, it potentially might face a case at the International Criminal Court, increasing credibility of any Palestinianin attempt to do so.<ref>Harriet Sherwood, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/31/israel-must-withdraw-settlers-icc Israel must withdraw all settlers or face ICC, says UN report], [[The Guardian]], 31 January 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44045&Cr=palestin&Cr1=#.UQtfEWc1CSo Independent UN inquiry urges halt to Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory], United Nations News Center, 31 January 2012.</ref><ref>Human Rights Council Twenty-second session, Agenda item 7, Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, [http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session19/FFM/FFMSettlements.pdf Report of the independent international fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem](Advanced Unedited Version), accessed 1 February 2013.</ref>

[[File:Demonstration Beit Ommar.jpg|thumb|Israeli soldiers in the West Bank]]
The UN has, after granting Palestine observer state status, permitted Palestine to title its representative office to the UN as 'The Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations',<ref>http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine/</ref> seen by many as a reflexion of the UN's [[de facto]] recognition of the State of Palestine's sovereignty,<ref name="unispal1"/> and Palestine has started to re-title its name accordingly on postal stamps, official documents and passports.<ref name="aljazeera.com"/><ref>http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/palestinian-authority-officially-changes-name-to-state-of-palestine.premium-1.492065</ref> The Palestinian authorities have also instructed its diplomats to officially represent '[[The State of Palestine]]', as opposed to the '[[Palestine National Authority]]'.<ref name="aljazeera.com"/> Additionally, on 17 December 2012, UN Chief of Protocol Yeocheol Yoon decided that 'the designation of "State of Palestine" shall be used by the Secretariat in all official United Nations documents'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/20/u-n-adds-new-name-state-of-palestine.html|title=U.N. Adds New Name: "State of Palestine"|last=Gharib |first=Ali|date=20 December 2012|accessdate=10 January 2013|publisher=[[The Daily Beast]]}}</ref>

Critics point out that implementation of the Oslo Accords has not improved conditions for the population under occupation.<ref>Occupation, Colonialism, Apartheid?, Human Sciences Research Council, May 2009, page 71</ref> Israel contends that the settlements are not illegal as the West Bank is considered a "disputed territory" under international law. [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 242]] recognized Israel's rights to "safe and secure borders", which has been interpreted by Israeli government as meaning that Israel had a right to West Bank territory for secure borders. The [[San Remo Conference]], binding under international law, further envisioned the West Bank as being part of a sovereign [[Jewish state]], and arguably encourages, rather than prohibits Jewish settlement in the area. Furthermore, according to Israeli government, many of the settlements were established on the sites of former Jewish communities that had existed there prior to 1947 on land that was legitimately bought, and ethnically cleansed by Arab forces. Israel views the territory as being the subject of legitimate diplomatic dispute and negotiation under international law.<ref name="mfa settlements">{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/Israeli+Settlements+and+International+Law.htm |title=Israeli Settlements and International Law, Israel Foreign Ministry website |publisher=Mfa.gov.il |date=20 May 2001 |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref><ref name="DGold1">[http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp470.htm "Occupied Territories" to "Disputed Territories"] by [[Dore Gold]], ''Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs'', 16 January 2002. Retrieved 29 September 2005.</ref> [[East Jerusalem]], captured in 1967, was unilaterally annexed by Israel. The UN Security Council Resolution 478 condemned the annexation as "a violation of international law". This annexation has not been recognized by other nations, although the United States Congress declared its intention to recognize the annexation (a proposal that has been condemned by other states and organizations). Because of the question of Jerusalem's status, no states base their diplomatic missions there and treat [[Tel Aviv]] as the capital,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Sherut/ForeignInIsrael/Continents/ |title=Foreign Missions in Israel -Continents |publisher=Mfa.gov.il |date=30 May 2007 |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref> though two states have embassies in the Jerusalem suburb of [[Mevaseret Zion]]. Israel asserts that these territories are not currently claimed by any other state, and that Israel has the right to control them.

[[File:PalestinianLegislativeCouncilGazaCity.jpg|thumb|The destroyed [[Palestinian Legislative Council]] building in Gaza City, [[Gaza–Israel conflict]], September 2009]]
Israel's position has not been accepted by most countries and international bodies, and the [[West Bank]] (including [[East Jerusalem]]) and the [[Gaza Strip]] are referred to as [[Israeli-occupied territories|occupied territories]] (with Israel as the occupying power) by most international legal and political bodies,<ref name=autogenerated1/> the rest of the Arab bloc, the UK,<ref>{{cite web |author=Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster |url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/vo020510/text/20510w11.htm |title=House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 10 May 2002 (pt 11) |publisher=Parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk |date= |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref> including the EU, the United States,([http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/nea/8262.htm#ot], [http://web.israelinsider.com/bin/en.jsp?enZone=Diplomacy&enDisplay=view&enPage=ArticlePage&enDispWhat=object&enDispWho=Article^l1316]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}), both the General Assembly and Security Council of the United Nations,<ref name=autogenerated1/> the International Court of Justice, the Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/85255e950050831085255e95004fa9c3/8fc4f064b9be5bad85256c1400722951?OpenDocument |title=Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention: Declaration - Switzerland text/Non-UN document (5 December 2001) |publisher=Unispal.un.org |date= |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref> and the Israeli Supreme Court (see [[Israeli West Bank barrier]]).

Former U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] stated, during his presidency, that he did not expect Israel to return entirely to pre-1967 borders, due to "new realities on the ground."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4436739.stm |title=Israel 'to keep some settlements' |publisher=BBC News |date=12 April 2005 |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref>

Both US President [[Bill Clinton]] and UK Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], who played notable roles in attempts at mediation, noted the need for some territorial and diplomatic compromise on this issue, based on the validity of some of the claims of both sides.<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/clintplan.html Remarks by Pres. Clinton], 1/7/01. (Full transcript available at: [http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/01/08/clinton.transcript/index.html cnn transcript])</ref><ref><!--http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=KArticle&aid=1079978882333--> {{Wayback |df=yes|date=20040615112026 |url=http://www.britemb.org.il/News/blair170404.html |title=Tony Blair press conference }}, 4/17/04, UK Foreign Office official website, including comments on compromising on settlements, accessed 7/12/07. (Scroll down to question that begins with the phrase, "But Mr Sharon sees a final settlement...")</ref> One compromise offered by Clinton would have allowed Israel to keep some settlements in the West Bank, especially those in large blocks near the pre-1967 borders of Israel. In return, Palestinians would have received concessions of land in other parts of the country.<ref name="Clinton">
* Excerpt: [[Bill Clinton|Clinton, Bill]]. [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/clintplan.html "The 'Clinton Parameters.'"] ''Jewish Virtual Library''. 7 January 2001.
* Full transcript: [http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/01/08/clinton.transcript/index.html "Transcript of Clinton's remarks to the Israel Policy Forum gala."] ''CNN.com International''. [[Cable News Network]]. 8 January 2010. Web. 15 October 2010. Transcript.</ref>
The United Nations did not declare any change in the status of the territories as of the creation of the [[Palestinian National Authority]] between 1993 and 2000, although a 1999 U.N. document<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |url=http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/3B8A2154701B3FFA8525683C0056B022 |title=United Nations International Meeting on the Convening of the Conference on Measures to Enforce the Fourth Geneva Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, UN website, Cairo, 14 and 15 June 1999 |publisher=Unispal.un.org |date= |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref> implied that the chance for a change in that status was slim at that period.

During the period between the 1993 Oslo Accords and the [[al-Aqsa Intifada|Second Intifada]] beginning in 2000, Israeli officials claimed that the term "occupation" did not accurately reflect the state of affairs in the territories. During this time, the Palestinian population in large parts of the territories had a large degree of autonomy and only limited exposure to the IDF except when seeking to move between different areas. Following the events of the Second Intifada, and in particular, [[Operation Defensive Shield]], most territories, including Palestinian cities (Area A), are back under effective Israeli military control, so the discussion along those lines is largely moot.

In the summer of 2005, Israel implemented its [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan|unilateral disengagement plan]]; about 8500 Israeli citizens living in the [[Gaza Strip]] were forcibly removed from the territory; some received alternative homes and a sum of money. The [[Israel Defense Forces]] vacated Gaza in 2005, but [[Operation Summer Rains|invaded it again]] in 2006 in response to rocket attacks and the abduction of Israeli soldier [[Gilad Shalit]] by Hamas.

In January 2010, King [[Abdullah II of Jordan|Abdullah of Jordan]], after a meeting with the Israeli president [[Shimon Peres]] at the [[World Economic Forum]] in [[Davos]], declared that his country does not want to rule the [[West Bank]] and that "the two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the only viable option. If rule over the territory was to be transferred to the kingdom, it would only "replace Israeli military rule with Jordanian military rule... and the Palestinians want their own state."<ref>{{cite web |author=DPA |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1146187.html |title="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1146187.html "King Abdullah: Jordan wants no part of West Bank" |publisher=Haaretz.com |date=29 April 2010 |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref>

In December 2010, [[Brazil]] recognized Palestine as a state with its 1967 borders. This move was later followed by [[Argentina]], [[Peru]], [[Uruguay]], [[Bolivia]] and [[Ecuador]]. This action was later criticized by Israel and the United States, who labelled it "counterproductive".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/ecuador-becomes-fifth-latin-american-country-to-recognize-palestinian-state-1.332845 |title=Ecuador becomes fifth Latin American country to recognize Palestinian state |publisher=Haaretz |date=25 December 2010 |accessdate=25 December 2010}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{main|Palestinian people}}
{{see also|Demographics of Palestine|Demographics of the Palestinian territories}}

=== Palestinians ===
[[File:Nablus Children Victor Grigas 2011 -1-84.jpg|thumb|Palestinian girl in [[Nablus]] in the West Bank]]
The [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS) estimated Palestinians at mid year 2009 as 10.7 million persons as follows: 3.9 million in the Palestinian Territory (36.6%), 1.2 million (11.5%) in Israel; 5.0 million in Arab countries (46.2%), 0.6 million in foreign countries (5.7%).<ref>[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1661.pdf Palestinians in figures 2009] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics May 2010; p. 11</ref>

According to ''[[The Guardian]]'' (2008) the Palestinian territories have one of the fastest growing populations in the world, with numbers surging 30% in the past decade (2008). There was 3.76 million Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, up from 2.89 million 10 years earlier.<ref>{{cite web |author=Toni O'Loughlin in Jerusalem |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/11/israelandthepalestinians.population |title=Census finds Palestinian population up by 30% |publisher=The Guardian |date=11 February 2008 |accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref>

According to the [[U.S. Census]] [[population growth]] mid-1990-2008 in [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] and [[West Bank]] was 106% from 1.9 million (1990) to 3.9 million persons.<ref>[http://www.census.gov/population/international/ US Census Bureau International Programs] International Data Base IDB West Bank and Gaza</ref>

According to the UN (2010), the Palestinian population is 4.4 million.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/803257.stm Israel and Palestinian territories country profile]</ref> According to the [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS) population density in 2009 was 654 capita/km<sup>2</sup>, of which 433 capita/km<sup>2</sup> in the [[West Bank]] including Jerusalem and 4,073 capita/km<sup>2</sup> in [[Gaza Strip]].<ref name=PCBSfig09>[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1661.pdf Palestine in Figures 2009] [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]], May 2010</ref> In mid-2009, the share of population less than 15 years was 41.9% and above 65 years 3%.<ref name="PCBSfig09"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px"
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center; background:#cfb;"| Population (mid year)<ref>[http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/ US Census Bureau International Programs] International Data Base IDB West Bank and Gaza</ref><ref>[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1661.pdf Palestinians in figures 2009] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics May 2010</ref><ref>[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/PressRelease/endyear2006_E.pdf Palestinians at the End of Year 2006] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics</ref>
|-
! style="background:#cfb;"| Year
! style="background:#cfb;"| [[West Bank]]
! style="background:#cfb;"| [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]]
! style="background:#cfb;"| Total
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1970 || style="text-align:right;"| 0.69 || style="text-align:right;"| 0.34 || style="text-align:right;"| 1.03
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1980 || style="text-align:right;"| 0.90 || style="text-align:right;"| 0.46 || style="text-align:right;"| 1.36
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1990 || style="text-align:right;"| 1.25 || style="text-align:right;"| 0.65 || style="text-align:right;"| 1.90
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2000 || style="text-align:right;"| 1.98 || style="text-align:right;"| 1.13 || style="text-align:right;"| 3.11
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004 || style="text-align:right;"| 2.20 || style="text-align:right;"| 1.30 || style="text-align:right;"| 3.50
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008 || style="text-align:right;"| 2.41 || style="text-align:right;"| 1.5 || style="text-align:right;"| 3.91
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010 || style="text-align:right;"| 2.52 || style="text-align:right;"| 1.60 || style="text-align:right;"| 4.12
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:left;"| <small>Source: [[U.S. Census Bureau]] </small>
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006 || style="text-align:right;"| 2.5 || style="text-align:right;"| 1.5 || style="text-align:right;"| 4.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009 || style="text-align:right;"| 2.48 || style="text-align:right;"| 1.45 || style="text-align:right;"| 3.94
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:left;"| <small>Source: [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]]</small>
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Region
! Population
|-
| West Bank
| 2,568,555<ref>(July 2010 est.) @ [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/we.html CIA The World Factbook]. This data plus 1.66 million in Gaza (resulting 4.23 million) agrees with the 4.1 million figure given by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics @ [http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jtoudRK9JlaH26B1bdZITg6iUfsQ?docId=CNG.f4fa510e3a42ad81ea91bfde88768880.331 Google Hosted News]</ref>
|-
| East Jerusalem
| 192,800<ref>Israeli settlers for ''(2008 est.) (July 2011 est.)'' {{sic}} estimation @ [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/we.html CIA The World Factbook]</ref>
|-
| Gaza Strip
| 1,657,155<ref>Estimation for July 2011 @ [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gz.html CIA The World Factbook]. This data plus 2.57 million in the West Bank (resulting 4.23 million) agrees with the 4.1 million figure given by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics @ [http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jtoudRK9JlaH26B1bdZITg6iUfsQ?docId=CNG.f4fa510e3a42ad81ea91bfde88768880.331 Google Hosted News]</ref>
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Name!!Population<br>(2007)<ref name="passia">http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/pdf/pdf2008/Population.pdf</ref>!!Area (km<sup>2</sup>)!! Density<ref>As stated in [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories by population density]], in 2010, the total density raised to 681, ranking the 20th biggest of this list.</ref>
|-
|[[West Bank]]|| 2,369,700 || 5,671 || 417.86
|-
|[[Gaza Strip]]|| 1,416,539 || 360 || 3934.83
|-
!Total!! 3,786,239 !! 6,031 || 627.80
|}

=== Language ===
[[Arabic language|Arabic]] is the official language within the Palestinian Authority.<ref>The [http://www.palestinianbasiclaw.org/2003-amended-basic-law Palestine Basic Law], approved by the PLC in March 2003, states in article 4 that "Arabic shall be the official language."</ref> [[Palestinian Arabic]] is the vernacular. [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] and [[English language|English]] are widely spoken. 16.1% of the population speaks Hebrew as their native language and Hebrew is also a second or third language to many other Palestinians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/asie/palestine.htm |title=Palestine |publisher=Tlfq.ulaval.ca |date= |accessdate=3 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Barahona|first=Ana|title=Bearing Witness - Eight weeks in Palestine|publisher=Metete|location=London| isbn= 978-1-908099-02-0|year=2013|page=80}}</ref>

=== Israeli settlers ===
[[File:IsraeliSettlementGrowthLineGraph.png|thumb|right|300px|Settler population, 1972-2007: yellow=East Jerusalem; blue= rest of West Bank <ref name="FmepByYear">{{cite web |url=http://www.fmep.org/settlement_info/settlement-info-and-tables/stats-data/israeli-settler-population-1972-2006 |title=Israeli Settler Population 1972-2006 |publisher=[[Foundation for Middle East Peace]] |accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref><ref name="BtselemByYear">{{cite web |publisher=[[B'Tselem]] |url=http://www.btselem.org/English/Settlements/Settlement_population.xls |title=Population by year in West Bank settlements |accessdate=14 March 2010}}</ref>]]

The PCBS estimated that about 564,000 [[Israeli settler]]s lived in the West Bank in 2012. Some 203,000 of them were settled in East Jerusalem (Area J1 of the [[Jerusalem Governorate]]) and 346,000 in the remaining West Bank.<ref name=PCBS_settlements_2012>[http://pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1993.pdf ''Israeli Settlements in Palestine—Annual Statistical Report 2012''], Table 2, p. 48. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, August 2013</ref>

Consistent with its policy of Jerusalem as a [[East Jerusalem#Jerusalem as capital|united and indivisible capital of Israel]], Israel does not publish exact figures of the number of settlers in East Jerusalem. Rather the figures of Israelis in [[Judea and Samaria Area|Judea and Samaria District]] are given. Independently from the political composition of its subsequent governments, the number of settlers in the West Bank has grown rapidly and in a relatively straight line since 1967 (see graphics). The [[Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics]] counted about 341,000 settlers end 2012 in the Judea and Samaria District, which does not include Jerusalem.<ref name=ICBS_st02_17>[http://www.cbs.gov.il/shnaton64/st02_17.pdf Table 2.17—Localities(1) and population] (see end of table). ICBS, STATISTICAL ABSTRACT OF ISRAEL 2013, 5 March 2014. '''Note:''' different dates of counting is one of the reasons for differing statistics.</ref>

== Administrative divisions ==
The Constitution of the League of Arab States says the existence and independence of Palestine cannot be questioned de jure even though the outward signs of this independence have remained veiled as a result of force majeure.<ref>Henry G. Schermers and Niels M. Blokker, International Institutional Law, Hotei, 1995-2004, ISBN 90-04-13828-5, page 51</ref> The League supervised the Egyptian trusteeship of the Palestinian government in Gaza after the termination of the British Mandate and secured assurances from Jordan that the 1950 Act of Union was "without prejudice to the final settlement".<ref name=WhitemanII>Marjorie M. Whiteman, Digest of International Law, vol. 2, US State Department (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1963) pages 1163-68</ref><ref>See paragraph 2.20 of the Written Statement submitted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan [http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/131/1559.pdf]</ref>

By the 1988 declaration, the PNC empowered its central council to form a [[government-in-exile]] when appropriate, and called upon its executive committee to perform the duties of the government-in-exile until its establishment.<ref name=Sayighp624>Sayigh, 1999, p. 624.</ref>

Under the terms of the Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the PLO, the latter assumed control over the [[Jericho]] area of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on 17 May 1994. On 28 September 1995, following the signing of the [[Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip|Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip]], Israeli military forces withdrew from the West Bank towns of [[Nablus]], [[Ramallah]], [[Jericho]], [[Jenin]], [[Tulkarem]], [[Qalqilya]] and [[Bethlehem]]. In December 1995, the PLO also assumed responsibility for civil administration in 17 areas in [[Hebron]].<ref name=Eurp905>Europa World Publications, 2004, p. 905.</ref> While the PLO assumed these responsibilities as a result of Oslo, a new temporary interim administrative body was set up as a result of the Accords to carry out these functions on the ground: the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

An analysis outlining the relationship between the PLO, the PNA (PA), Palestine and Israel in light of the interim arrangements set out in the Oslo Accords begins by stating that, "Palestine may best be described as a transitional association between the PA and the PLO." It goes on to explain that this transitional association accords the PA responsibility for local government and the PLO responsibility for representation of the Palestinian people in the international arena, while prohibiting it from concluding international agreements that affect the status of the occupied territories. This situation is said to be accepted by the Palestinian population insofar as it is viewed as a temporary arrangement.<ref name=Dajanip121>Dajani in Brownlie et al., 1999, p. 121.</ref>

Since the [[Battle of Gaza (2007)]], the two separate territories, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, are divided into a Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip and a [[Fatah]] civil leadership in the autonomous areas of the West Bank. Each sees itself as the administrator of all Palestinian Territories and does not acknowledge the other one as the official government of the territories. The Palestinian Territories have therefore ''de facto'' split into two entities.

[[File:Palestine election map.PNG|thumb|[[Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority]]]]

=== Governorates ===
{{main|Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority}}

After the signing of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian territories were divided 16 governorates under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority. Since 2007 there are two governments claiming to be the legitimate government of the Palestinian National Authority, one based in the West Bank and one based in the Gaza Strip.

=== West Bank Areas ===
{{main|West Bank Areas in the Oslo II Accord}}
[[File:Area A.JPG|thumb|upright|Israeli signpost warning Israeli citizens that entry into Area 'A' is forbidden, life-endangering, and constitutes a criminal offense]]

The [[Oslo II Accord]] created three temporary distinct administrative divisions in the Palestinian territories, the Areas ''A'', ''B'' and ''C'', until a final status accord would be established. The areas are not contiguous, but rather fragmented depending on the different population areas as well as [[Israel]]i military requirements.
* ''Area A'' (in theory, full civil and security control by the [[Palestinian National Authority|Palestinian Authority]]): circa 3% of the West Bank, exclusive East-Jerusalem (first phase, 1995).<ref name="Oslo 2">{{cite web | last = Gvirtzman | first = Haim | title = Maps of Israeli Interests in Judea and Samaria Determining the Extent of the Additional Withdrawals}} (this study was funded by the Settlement Division of the Zionist Organization)</ref><ref name=map1>{{cite web|url=
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA_Graphics/MFA%20Gallery/1995/9/MFAJ01v30.jpg |title=''Map No. 1 - First Phase of Redeployment'' |date= |accessdate=3 January 2013}}</ref> In 2011: 18%.<ref name=nyt>New York Times, 23 July 2012, [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/world/middleeast/israel-seeks-army-use-of-west-bank-area.html ''Israel Seeks Army Use of West Bank Area'']</ref><ref name=Oslo-map>[http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6B9EABA6D3EA5CE2852578410058A8C6 ''West Bank: Area C Map'']. UNISPAL, 22 February 2011; from [http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_area_c_map_2011_02_22.pdf OCHAoPt]</ref> This area includes all Palestinian cities and their surrounding areas, with no Israeli settlements. Entry into this area is forbidden to all Israeli citizens. The [[Israel Defense Forces]] occasionally enters the area to conduct raids to arrest suspected militants.
* ''Area B'' (Palestinian civil control and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control): circa 25% (first phase, 1995).<ref name="Oslo 2"/><ref name=map1/> In 2011: 21%.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=Oslo-map/> Includes areas of many Palestinian towns and villages and areas, with no Israeli settlements.
* ''Area C'' (full Israeli civil and security control, except over Palestinian civilians): circa 72% (first phase, 1995).<ref name="Oslo 2"/><ref name=map1/> In 2011: 61%.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=Oslo-map/> These areas include all Israeli settlements (cities, towns, and villages), nearby land, most roadways that connected the settlements (and which Israelis are now restricted to) as well as strategic areas described as "security zones."<ref name=nyt/> There were 1,000 Israeli settlers living in Area C in 1972. By 1993, their population had increased to 110,000. As of 2012 they number more than 300,000 – as against 150,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are Bedouin and ''[[fellahin]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Diab|first=Khaled|title=Bedouin kids' school of hard knocks|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/bedouin-kids-school-of-hard-knocks.premium-1.463104|accessdate=9 September 2012|newspaper=[[Haaretz]]|date=6 September 2012}}</ref>

== History == <!---[[History of the Palestinian territories]] redirects to this section heading. If the heading changes please update the redirect to match. TIA.--->
{{see also|History of Palestine|History of the Gaza Strip|History of the Palestinian people}}
{{History of the Palestinian territories}}
[[File:1947-UN-Partition-Plan-1949-Armistice-Comparison.svg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Map comparing the borders of the 1947 partition plan and the armistice of 1949.|{{Partition Plan-Armistice Lines comparison map legend}}]]

In 1922, after the collapse of the [[Ottoman Empire]] that ruled [[Ottoman Syria|Greater Syria]] for four centuries (1517–1917), the [[British Mandate for Palestine]] was established. Large-scale Jewish immigration from abroad, mainly from [[Eastern Europe]] took place during the British Mandate, though Jewish immigration started during the Ottoman period.<ref>[http://www.un.org/depts/dpa/ngo/history.html History]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}, Civil Society Network on the Question of Palestine, Division for Palestinian Rights, United Nations.</ref><ref name="Mark A. Tessler">[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mark_A._Tessler Mark A. Tessler], [http://books.google.com/books?id=3kbU4BIAcrQC&lpg=PP1&ots=Szm5WrG91i&dq=Mark%20A.%20Tessler&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false ''A History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.''] page 211</ref> The future of Palestine was hotly disputed between Arabs and Jews. In 1947, the total Jewish ownership of land in Palestine was 1,850,000 dunams or {{convert|1850|km2|0|abbr=out}}, which is 7.04% of the total land of Palestine.<ref>[[British Mandate for Palestine|British mandate#Land ownership of the British Mandate of Palestine]]</ref> Public property or "crown lands", the bulk of which was in the Negev, belonging to the government of Palestine may have made up as much as 70% of the total land; with the Arabs, Christians and others owning the rest.<ref>Alexander Safian, [http://www.meforum.org/article/370 Can Arabs Buy Land in Israel?], ''Middle East Quarterly'' Volume IV, Number 4, December 1997; citing Moshe Aumann, Land Ownership in Palestine 1880–1948, Israel Academic Committee on the Middle East (undated, approximately 1970). The Negev statement is in Aumann.</ref>

The 1947 [[1947 UN Partition Plan|United Nations Partition Plan]] proposed a division of Mandate Palestine between an Arab and a Jewish state, with [[Jerusalem]] and the surrounding area to be a ''[[corpus separatum (Jerusalem)|corpus separatum]]'' under a special international regime. The regions allotted to the proposed Arab state included what became the Gaza Strip, and almost all of what became the West Bank, as well as other areas.

The Partition Plan was passed by the UN General Assembly on November 1947. The Partition Plan was accepted by the Jewish leadership, but rejected by the Arab leaders. The Arab League threatened to take military measures to prevent the partition of Palestine and to ensure the national rights of the Palestinian Arab population. One day before the expiration of the British Mandate for Palestine, on 14 May 1948, Israel declared its independence within the borders of the Jewish State set out in the Partition Plan. US President Harry Truman recognized the State of Israel ''de facto'' the following day. The Arab countries declared war on the newly formed State of Israel heralding the start of the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]].{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} Arab countries announced "an intervention in Palestine to restore law and order", heralding the start of the [[1948 Palestine War]].<ref name="arab league declaration">{{cite web|title=Arab League Declaration on the Invasion of Palestine|url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Cablegram_from_the_Secretary-General_of_the_League_of_Arab_States_to_the_Secretary-General_of_the_United_Nations|publisher=United Nations|accessdate=9 May 2013}}</ref>{{primary source-inline|date=May 2013}}

After the war, which Palestinians call the ''[[1948 Palestinian exodus|Nakba]]'', the [[1949 Armistice Agreements]] established the separation lines between the combatants, leaving Israel in control of some of the areas designated for the Arab state under the Partition Plan, Transjordan in control of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Egypt in control of the Gaza Strip and Syria in control of the [[Himmah Area]].

In 1950, [[Jordanian occupation of the West Bank|Jordan annexed the West Bank]]. Only the [[United Kingdom]] formally recognized the annexation of the West Bank, excluding the case of East Jerusalem which was ''de facto'' recognized.<ref>Announcement in the UK House of Commons of the recognition of the State of Israel and also of the annexation of the West Bank by the State of Jordan. Commons Debates (Hansard) 5th series, Vol 474, pp1137-1141. 27 April 1950. [[:File:UKrecognizesIsraelJordan.pdf|scan (PDF)]]</ref> In the Gaza Strip the Arab League formed the [[All-Palestine Government]], which operated under [[Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt|Egypt occupation]].

Article 24 of the [[Palestinian National Covenant]] of 1964, which established the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]],<ref>[http://www.palestine-un.org/plo/pna_two.html Palestinian National Charter]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}, 1964</ref> stated: "This Organization does not exercise any territorial sovereignty over the West Bank in the [[Jordan|Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan]], on the Gaza Strip or in the Himmah Area" (i.e. the areas of the former Mandate Palestine controlled by Jordan, Egypt and Syria, respectively).

Israel captured both territories in the 1967 Six-Day War, as well as other territory belonging to Egypt and Syria. Since then, these territories have been designated [[Israeli-occupied territories]]. Immediately after the war, on 19 June 1967, the Israeli government offered to return the Golan Heights to Syria, the Sinai to Egypt and most of the West Bank to Jordan in exchange for peace. At the [[1967 Arab League summit|Khartoum Summit]] in September, the Arab parties responded to this overture by declaring "no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel and no negotiations with Israel."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mideastweb.org/khartoum.htm |title=Khartoum Resolutions |publisher=Mideastweb.org |date=19 June 1967 |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref>

[[UN Security Council Resolution 242]] introduced the "[[UN Security Council Resolution 242#Semantic dispute|Land for Peace]]" formula for normalizing relations between Israel and its neighbors. This formula was used when Israel returned the [[Sinai Peninsula]] to Egypt in 1979 in exchange for a [[Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty|peace treaty]]. While that treaty mentioned a "linkage" between Israeli-Egyptian peace and Palestinian autonomy, the formerly Egyptian-occupied territory in Gaza was excluded from the agreement, and remained under Israeli control.

The [[Oslo Accords]] of the early 1990s between the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] and Israel led to the creation of the [[Palestinian Authority]]. This was an interim organization created to administer a limited form of Palestinian self-governance in the territories for a period of five years during which final-status negotiations would take place. The Palestinian Authority carried civil responsibility in some rural areas, as well as security responsibility in the major cities of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Although the five-year interim period expired in 1999, the final status agreement has yet to be concluded despite attempts such as the [[Camp David 2000 Summit|2000 Camp David Summit]], the [[Taba summit]], and the unofficial [[Geneva Accords (2003)|Geneva Accords]].

{{Palestinian territory development}}

== See also ==
{{portal|Palestine|Middle East|Israel}}
* [[Outline of the Palestinian territories]]
* [[Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories]]
* [[Definitions of Palestine]]
* [[Economy of the Palestinian territories]]
* [[Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network]]
* [[Palestinian flag]]
* [[Racism in the Palestinian territories]]
* [[Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Monitoring Program]]
* [[Health care in the Palestinian territories]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|Palestinian territories}}
* [http://atlas.pcbs.gov.ps/atlas/default.asp Statistical Atlas of Palestine] at the [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]].
* [http://report.globalintegrity.org/West%20Bank/2008 Global Integrity Report: West Bank] has a governance and anti-corruption profile.
* {{CIA World Factbook link|gz|Gaza Strip}}
* {{CIA World Factbook link|we|West Bank}}
* [http://www.state.gov/p/nea/ci/pt/index.htm Palestinian Territories] at the [[United States Department of State]].
* [http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/palestine.htm Palestine] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''.
* {{dmoz|Regional/Middle_East/Palestinian_Territory|Palestinian Territory}}
* [http://www.ottomanpalestine.com/ Palestine under the Ottoman Rule]
* [http://www.museumchick.com/museum-chick/2010/09/palestinian-territory-street-art.html Palestinian territories street-art]
* {{PDFlink|[http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/palestine/ The Question of Palestine & the United Nations]}}, published by the United Nations Department of Public Information, March 2003. UN Brochure DPI/2276. Online, chapters are in PDF format.
* [http://www.democracynow.org/2014/9/1/a_slaughter_of_innocents_henry_siegman ''A Slaughter Of Innocents''], '''[[Henry Siegman]]''''s interview with [[Democracy Now!]] on Palestine in general and [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] war in 2014

{{Palestine topics}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Palestinian Territories}}
[[Category:Palestinian territories| ]]
[[Category:Disputed territories in Asia]]
[[Category:Fertile Crescent]]
[[Category:Geography of Palestine]]
[[Category:Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
[[Category:Levant]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1967]]
[[Category:Western Asia]]
[[Category:1967 establishments in the Palestinian territories]]

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SWEG BRUH PLAESTINE ARE BOMBERS BRUH GO ISRAEL

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