Jump to content

Occupied Palestinian territories: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m Reverting possible vandalism by 178.22.68.155 to version by Night w. False positive? Report it. Thanks, ClueBot NG. (656462) (Bot)
I made it right.
Line 1: Line 1:
It is isreael.
{{distinguish| Palestinian National Authority|State of Palestine|Palestine (region)}}
{{Infobox country
|native_name =
|conventional_long_name = <span style="line-height:1.33em;">Palestinian Territories</span>
|common_name = Palestine
|image_flag = Flag of Palestine.svg
|image_coat =
|symbol_type = Coat of arms
|image_map = Palestine_election_map.PNG
|map_caption = Map showing areas of Palestinian Authority control or joint control (Areas A and B) in deep green
|national_anthem = ''[[Fida'i]]''
|sound = United States Navy Band - Mawtini.ogg
|capital =Administrative centers:
[[Ramallah]] (West Bank), [[Gaza]] (Gaza Strip); [[East Jerusalem]] is the proclaimed capital of Palestine</small><ref name="Ref_a">The Palestine Basic Law, approved by the PLC in May 2002, states in the article 3 "Jerusalem is the Capital of Palestine" (source: [http://www.palestinianbasiclaw.org/2002-basic-law Palestinianbasiclaw.org]). [[Ramallah]] is the administrative capital and the location of government institutions as well as the foreign representative offices of [[Australia]], [[Brazil]], [[Canada]], [[Colombia]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Finland]], [[Germany]], [[Malta]], the [[Netherlands]], [[South Africa]], and [[Switzerland]]. Jerusalem's final status awaits future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (see [http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/IPPP/Fall97Report/negotiating_jerusalem.htm "Negotiating Jerusalem", University of Maryland]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}). The [[United Nations]] and most countries do not accept Israel's claim over the whole of Jerusalem (see {{harvnb|Kellerman|1993|p=140}}) and maintain their embassies to Israel in other cities (see the [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/is.html CIA Factbook]).</ref>
|largest cities = [[Gaza]], [[Hebron]], [[Nablus]] and [[Jenin]]
|government_type = [[Semi-presidential system|Semi-presidential]];<br />[[Parliamentary system|Parliamentary democracy]]
|leader_title1 = [[President of the Palestinian National Authority|President]]
|leader_title2 = [[Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority|Prime Minister]]
|leader_name1 = [[Mahmoud Abbas]]<sup>'''a'''</sup>
|leader_name2 = [[Ismail Haniyeh]]<sup>'''b'''</sup>
|official_languages = [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], and [[English language|English]]
|population_estimate = 3,935,249<ref name="Ref_b">[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/child/demog.htm]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}</ref>
|population_estimate_rank = 126th
|population_estimate_year = 2009 (July)
|population_census =
|population_census_year =
|GDP_PPP = $$12.95 billion
|GDP_PPP_rank = -
|GDP_PPP_year = 2009
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $2,900
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = -
|HDI = 0.645<ref>http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/Lets-Talk-HD-HDI_2010.pdf</ref>
|HDI_rank = 97th
|HDI_year = 2010
|HDI_category = <span style="color:#fc0;">medium</span>
|established_event1 = Established
|established_date1 = May 4, 1994
|currency = {{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}<!-- any source showing an official [[legal tender]] declared by the PNA or the currency utilized by the PNA institutions? --> [[Jordanian dinar]]<sup>'''c'''</sup><br/>[[Egyptian Pound]]<sup>'''d'''</sup><br/>[[Israeli new sheqel]]<sup>'''e'''</sup>
|currency_code = JOD, EGP, ILS
|country_code = PS
|time_zone = &nbsp;
|utc_offset = +2
|time_zone_DST = &nbsp;
|utc_offset_DST = +3
|cctld = [[.ps]], [[فلسطين.]]
|calling_code = [[+970]]<sup>'''f'''</sup>
|footnotes = {{Collapsible list|title=Notes a b c d e f|<sup>'''a'''</sup> Abbas's term expired on 9 January 2009, creating a constitutional crisis. Abbas unilaterally extended his term by one year, while Duwaik, as the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, assumed the office as well.<br /><sup>'''b'''</sup> Haniyeh was dismissed by President Abbas in favor of Fayad, however, along with the Palestinian Legislative Council, Haniyeh does not acknowledge the legitimacy of his dismissal; from 14 June 2007 Haniyeh exercises de facto authority in the Gaza Strip, whereas Fayad's government has authority in the West Bank.<br/><sup>'''c'''</sup> Used in [[West Bank]] from 1950–present<br/><sup>'''d'''</sup> Used in [[Gaza Strip]] from 1951–present<br/><sup>'''e'''</sup> Used from 1985–present<br/><sup>'''f'''</sup> [[+972]] is also used}}
}}

[[Image:West Bank & Gaza Map 2007 (Settlements).png|right|thumb|300px|left|Map showing the West Bank and Gaza Strip in relation to central Israel (situation of 2007)]]
The '''Palestinian territories''' comprise the [[West Bank]] and the [[Gaza Strip]]. Since the [[Palestinian Declaration of Independence]] in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the '''[[State of Palestine]]''' or simply '''Palestine''',<ref>Note that the term [[Palestine]] has historically referred to the region which today incorporates [[Israel]] as well as the Palestinian territories. The current position was expressed by [[Mahmoud Abbas]] in his September 2011 speech to the United Nations: "When we adopted this program, we were taking a painful and very difficult step for all of us, especially those, including myself, who were forced to leave their homes and their towns and villages, carrying only some of our belongings and our grief and our memories and the keys of our homes to the camps of exile and the Diaspora in the 1948 [[Al-Nakba]], one of the worst operations of uprooting, destruction and removal of a vibrant and cohesive society that had been contributing in a pioneering and leading way in the cultural, educational and economic renaissance of the Arab Middle East. Yet, because we believe in peace and because of our conviction in international legitimacy, and because we had the courage to make difficult decisions for our people, and in the absence of absolute justice, we decided to adopt the path of relative justice - justice that is possible and could correct part of the grave historical injustice committed against our people. Thus, we agreed to establish the State of Palestine on only 22% of the territory of historical Palestine - on all the Palestinian Territory occupied by Israel in 1967. [http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/full-transcript-of-abbas-speech-at-un-general-assembly-1.386385]</ref> although this status is not recognized by the [[United Nations]], [[Israel]] and major [[Western world|Western nations]] such as the [[United States]]. The UN and international legal bodies often refer to the region as the ''Occupied Palestinian Territories''.

From the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] until the 1967 [[Six Day War]], the West Bank was occupied by [[Jordan]] and the Gaza Strip by [[Egypt]]. Both are currently occupied by [[Israel]] according to the international community, although Israel has denied that it occupies the Gaza Strip.<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= 9780415453851 |year=2008|page=27}}</ref><ref name=Amideast>{{cite web|url=http://www.amideast.org/westbank/country_info.htm|title=West Bank/Gaza (Occupied Palestinian Territories) Information|publisher=America-Mideast Educational and Training Services Inc. (AMIDEAST)|accessdate=2009-01-03}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</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=The Humanitarian Monitor|date=December 2009|accessdate=2010-01-03|publisher=[[UNOCHA]]}}</ref> The [[Palestinian National Authority]] regards [[East Jerusalem]] as part of the West Bank, and consequently a part of the Palestinian territories, while Israel regards it as part of Israel as a result of its [[Jerusalem Law|annexation in 1980]]. 'Palestinian territories' is one of a number of designations for these areas. The territories were part of the territory west of the [[Jordan River]] of [[Mandate Palestine]], formed in 1922. In March 1946, the territory east of the Jordan River, which had been ruled as a separate province of Mandate Palestine, became the independent kingdom of [[Transjordan]], though general international recognition took a bit longer. The Palestinian territories were captured and [[Occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Jordan|occupied by Transjordan]] (the West Bank) and [[Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt|by Egypt]] (the Gaza strip) in 1948, and acquired their current boundaries at the cessation of fighting in the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]], which were delineated in the [[1949 Armistice Agreements]].<ref>[http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/9EC4A332E2FF9A128525643D007702E6 Egypt Israel Armistice Agreement] UN Doc S/1264/Corr.1 23 February 1949</ref> Israel captured and occupied the territories in the 1967 [[Six-Day War]]. In 1980 Israel annexed East Jerusalem, but [[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 annexation lacks international recognition.<ref name=Amideast/> The [[1949 Armistice Agreements]] that ended that war did not create permanent borders, but only temporary boundaries until a permanent peace agreement could be reached. Nevertheless, Jordan captured East Jerusalem along with the entire West Bank during the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]] and tried to annex it in 1950, though it was widely considered unlawful.<ref>Jordan's annexation was recognized only by the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Pakistan]].</ref> After losing it in 1967, Jordan renounced all territorial claims to East Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1988.

Israel's legal rationale for the annexation of East Jerusalem principally revolves around the belief that conquest resulting from a defensive use of force entitles the victor to unilaterally annex occupied territory. According to the [[Supreme Court of Israel|Israeli Supreme Court]], the [[Fourth Geneva Convention]], which prohibits unilateral annexation of occupied territory, does not apply to East Jerusalem, as there was no "legitimate sovereign" there prior.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} The [[Palestinian National Authority]], which maintains a territorial claim to East Jerusalem, never exercised sovereignty over the area.{{Citation needed| date=September 2011}} However, this reasoning has not been recognized by any other country, since unilateral annexation of territory conquered during war, even in defensive conquest, has been argued to contravene 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=052146322X|pages=111–115}}</ref> Many believe that the city should be internationalized to guarantee freedom of religion and the security of holy sites.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} Following the signing of the [[Oslo Accords]] in 1993, portions of the territories have been governed to varying degrees by the [[Palestinian Authority]].

==Name==
{{see also|Timeline of the name Palestine}}
There are disagreements over what the Palestinian territories should be called.

The [[United Nations]], the [[International Court of Justice]], the [[European Union]], [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] and the government of the [[United Kingdom]] all refer to the "Occupied Palestinian Territories".<ref>[http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/country-profiles/middle-east-north-africa/palestine-national-authority UK Government Foreign Office]{{Dead link|date=June 2010}}</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=2010-06-30}}</ref><ref>[http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/palestine-report-131207 International Committee of the Red Cross]{{Dead link|date=June 2010}}</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', '[[Israeli-occupied territories]]', and 'the occupied territories'. Further terms include "[[Yesha]]" (Judea-Samaria-Gaza), Yosh (Judea and Samaria), the Katif Strip (Gaza Strip), "liberated territories", "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]</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=9780714631622|page=138|coauthors=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 will accept partition as a just and rightful solution.}}</ref> Menachem Begin,<ref name="Chomsky fateful triangle">{{Cite book|last=Chomsky|first=Noam|title=Fateful triangle: the United States, Israel, and the Palestinians|year=1999|publisher=South End Press|isbn=9780896086012|page=161|authorlink=Noam Chomksy}}</ref><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=9781435295131|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>

Many [[Israelis]] {{Who|date=February 2010}} object to the term "Occupied Palestinian Territories", and similar descriptions, because they maintain such designations disregard legitimate 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}}
[[Image:Gz-map2.png|left|thumb|100px|Map of the Gaza Strip]]
The Palestinian Territories consist of two (or perhaps three) distinct areas: the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel regards East Jerusalem not to be a part of the West Bank, but regards it is as part of a unified Jerusalem, which it unilaterally considers the Capital of the state. 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</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 natural geographic boundary of the West Bank, as the name implies, is the [[Jordan River]]. The Gaza Strip is bounded by the [[Mediterranean Sea]].

[[Image:We-map.png|right|thumb|120px|Map of the West Bank]]
It is now generally accepted, at least as a basis for negotiation between the sides, that the boundaries between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and the [[Israel|State of Israel]] are what has historically been referred to as the [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} 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.

Between the Armistice of 1949 and the [[Six-Day War]] of 1967, the West Bank and East Jerusalem were occupied and annexed by Jordan and the Gaza Strip was occupied (but not annexed) by Egypt. The term "Palestinian" began to be applied exclusively to the Arab population of these areas only after Israel's victory in the 1967 War, and consequently the terms "Palestinian Territories" and "Occupied Palestinian Territories" also gained wide usage. Until the start of serious negotiations for a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian issues (the [[Peace Process]]), the Palestinians refrained from defining the boundaries of what they called "the occupied territories," and which some even called "occupied Palestine", which implied a potential Palestinian claim to the whole of Israel. It was in the context of the negotiations that the term "1967 borders" came to be used, as a basis for negotiation. "The 1967 borders" are in fact the 1949 armistice lines (which is the Green Line), which all Arab countries and Palestinians at the time insisted were to be temporary and with no other legal status. The Palestinian negotiators claim a return to those lines as the boundary for a future Palestinian state. The Palestinians also claim that East Jerusalem is a part of the occupied West Bank within the boundaries of the "1967 borders". The [[Arab League]] has supported these boundaries as the borders of the future [[State of Palestine]] in the 2002 [[Arab Peace Initiative]].

==History==
{{Main|History of Palestine (region)}}
[[File:1947-UN-Partition-Plan-1949-Armistice-Comparison.svg|thumb|right|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 1,850 square kilometers, which is 7.04% of the total land of Palestine.<ref>[[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.

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 and East Jerusalem, Egypt in control of the Gaza Strip and Syria in control of the [[Himmah Area]].

In 1950 [[Occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Jordan|Jordan annexed the West Bank and East Jerusalem]]. Only the [[United Kingdom]] formally recognized the annexation of the West Bank, ''de facto'' in the case of East Jerusalem.<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. April 27, 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 Charter]] 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, besides other territory belonging to Egypt and Syria. Since then these territories have been designated [[Israeli-occupied territories]]. Immediately after the war, on June 19, 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=1967-06-19 |accessdate=2010-06-30}}</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]].

In 2005, Israeli forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip, ceding full effective internal control of the territory to the Palestinian Authority.

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.

==Political status==
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=2010-06-30}}</ref> The State Department and other US 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=2010-06-30}}</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 - Strategic Objective: 294-001 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2010-06-30}}</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=2010-06-30}}</ref>

[[File:Gaza City.JPG|400px|thumb|Panorama of Gaza City]]
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=2010-06-30}}</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= 2008-03-04|accessdate=2010-06-30 | 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=2010-06-30}}</ref> The covert initiative was exposed when confidential State Department documents were accidentally leaked by the US envoy. The talking points delivered to the Fatah leadership said:{{quote|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=2009-10-20 |accessdate=2010-06-30}}</ref>}}

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=2009-01-08 |accessdate=2010-06-30}}</ref>

==Legal status==
{{Palestinians}}
{{See also|International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict|Political status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip|Status of territories captured by Israel}}

The international community regards the West Bank and East Jerusalem as territories occupied by Israel, and, although it has withdrawn its military forces, Israel continues to be designated the occupying power in the Gaza Strip by the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and various human rights organizations.<ref name="domino.un.org">[http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/85255a0a0010ae82852555340060479d/8fc4f064b9be5bad85256c1400722951 Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention: Declaration], Dec 5, 2001, UN website.</ref><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. 2009-01-19. 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, July 6, 2006; [http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/06/israel.gaza.occupation.question/index.html Is Gaza 'occupied' territory?] CNN, January 6, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-30.</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], May 25, 2003</ref>

Customary international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, 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, November 29, 2001</ref> This was reaffirmed December 5, 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"/> 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. 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 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, 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">[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/Israeli+Settlements+and+International+Law.htm Israeli Settlements and International Law], Israel Foreign Ministry website, 5/4/01, accessed 12/18/07.</ref><ref name="DGold1">[http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp470.htm "Occupied Territories" to "Disputed Territories"] by [[Dore Gold]], ''Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs'', January 16, 2002. Retrieved September 29, 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=2007-05-30 |accessdate=2010-06-30}}</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.

Israel's position has not been accepted by most countries and international bodies, and the [[West Bank]], 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="UN Cairo">[http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.nsf/1ce874ab1832a53e852570bb006dfaf6/3b8a2154701b3ffa8525683c0056b022!OpenDocument 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]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}, UN website, Cairo, 14 and 15 June 1999.</ref> 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.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/cm020510/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=2010-06-30}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</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>[http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.nsf/1ce874ab1832a53e852570bb006dfaf6/3b8a2154701b3ffa8525683c0056b022!OpenDocument ]{{Dead link|date=June 2010}}</ref> 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=2010-06-30}}</ref> and the Israeli Supreme Court (see [[Israeli West Bank barrier]]).

Some countries and international figures seem to have accorded some credibility to Israel's position. 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>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4436739.stm Israel 'to keep some settlements'], BBC, 4/12/05.</ref> However, the longstanding policy of the United States called upon Israel to offer territorial compensation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/FRUS/FRUS-idx?type=turn&entity=FRUS.FRUS1949v06.p0894&id=FRUS.FRUS1949v06&isize=M |title=Foreign relations of the United States, 1949. The Near East, South Asia, and Africa Volume VI, page 878 President Trutman to King A bdullah Ibn'el-Hussein of Transjordan |publisher=Digicoll.library.wisc.edu |date= |accessdate=2010-06-30}}</ref>

Both U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] and U.K. 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><!-- Commenthttp://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=KArticle&aid=1079978882333 --> [http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:-08fUx6-xtUJ:www.britemb.org.il/News/blair170404.html+%22But+Mr+Sharon+sees+a+final+settlement%22+blair&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us 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="UN Cairo"/> 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=By 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=2010-04-29 |accessdate=2010-06-30}}</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=2010-12-25 |accessdate=2010-12-25}}</ref>

==Governorates structure==
[[File:Palestine election map.PNG|thumb|[[Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority|Governorates of Palestine]]]]
{{Main|Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority}}

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 September 28, 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 (or 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>

In March 2008 it was reported that the PA was working to increase the number of countries that recognize Palestine and that a PA representative had signed a bilateral agreement between the State of Palestine and Costa Rica.<ref name=Forward>See Perelman, Marc, Forward, March 07, 2008, Costa Rica Opens Official Ties With ‘State of Palestine’ [http://www.forward.com/articles/12761/]</ref> A recent Al-Haq position paper said the reality is that the PA has entered into various agreements with international organizations and states. These instances of foreign relations undertaken by the PA signify that the Interim Agreement is part of a larger on-going peace process, and that the restrictions on the foreign policy operations of the PA conflict with the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, now a norm with a nature of [[Peremptory norm|jus cogens]], which includes a right to engage in international relations with other peoples.<ref>Al-Haq Position Paper on Issues Arising from the Palestinian Authority’s Submission of a Declaration to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Under Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute (December 14, 2009)</ref>

==Population==
{{Main|Palestinian people}}
{{see also|Demographics of the Palestinian Territories}}

==Communication==
{{Main|Communications in the Palestinian territories}}

==Transportation==
{{Main|Transport in the Palestinian territories}}

==See also==
{{satop|Geography|Eurasia|Asia|Western Asia|Middle East|Israel|Palestinian territories|Palestine}}
* [[Definitions of Palestine]]
* [[Economy of the Palestinian territories]]
* [[Human rights in the Palestinian National Authority]]
* [[Racism in the Palestinian territories]]
* [[Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt]]
* [[Occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Jordan]]
* [[One-state solution]]
* [[Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network]]
* [[Palestinian flag]]
* [[Proposals for a Palestinian state]]
* [[Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Monitoring Program]]
* [[Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Palestinian Territories}}
* [http://atlas.pcbs.gov.ps/atlas/default.asp Statistical Atlas of Palestine] - [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]]
*[http://report.globalintegrity.org/West%20Bank/2008 Global Integrity Report: West Bank] has 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}}
* {{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.afd.fr/jahia/webdav/site/afd/shared/PUBLICATIONS/RECHERCHE/Scientifiques/Focales/02-Focales-octobre10-VA.pdf Local Government in Palestine], published by [[:fr:Agence française de développement|Agence Française de Développement]], October 2010.
*[http://www.ottomanpalestine.com/ Palestine under the Ottoman Rule] The Ottoman Palestine Pictures
* [http://www.museumchick.com/museum-chick/2010/09/palestinian-territory-street-art.html * A unique look at the Palestinian Territories street art]

{{Palestine topics}}
{{Palestine and Palestinian nationalism}}
{{Palestinian diaspora}}
{{Afro-Asiatic-speaking}}
{{Semitic-speaking}}


{{Coord|31|53|N|35|12|E|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palestinian Territories}}
[[Category:Palestinian territories| ]]
[[Category:Fertile Crescent]]
[[Category:Geography of Israel]]
[[Category:Geography of the Middle East]]
[[Category:Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
[[Category:Levant]]
[[Category:Western Asia]]
[[Category:Disputed territories in Asia]]

[[af:Palestynse Grondgebiede]]
[[ang:Palestiniscan Landscipas]]
[[ar:فلسطين المحتلة]]
[[ca:Territoris Palestins]]
[[es:Territorios Palestinos]]
[[fr:Territoires palestiniens]]
[[is:Heimastjórnarsvæði Palestínumanna]]
[[it:Territori palestinesi]]
[[he:יהודה והשומרון וחבל עזה]]
[[ka:პალესტინის ტერიტორიები]]
[[hu:Palesztina]]
[[mk:Палестина (автономни територии)]]
[[nah:Palestina]]
[[nl:Palestijnse Gebieden]]
[[no:De palestinske territoriene]]
[[pt:Territórios palestinianos]]
[[rmy:Palestina]]
[[simple:Palestinian territories]]
[[sk:Palestínske okupované územia]]
[[wa:Palestene (cåzu-estat)]]
[[yo:Palestinian territories]]
[[zh:巴勒斯坦领土]]

Revision as of 17:15, 16 October 2011

It is isreael.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Occupied_Palestinian_territories&oldid=455871319"