The West Bank is a territory located on the Western side of the Jordan River that borders Israel to the West, Jordan to the East, and the Dead Sea to the South. Home to nearly 3 million Palestinians and more than 500,000 Israelis, the West Bank has been one of the epicenters of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades, and remains an extremely contentious issue today.
Palestinians seek the West Bank as the core of a future Palestinian state, even as Israeli settlements in the region — which are contested under international law — have continued to increase. Israeli settlements are a source of significant tension, both between Israelis and Palestinians, and internally among the Israeli population. A 2025 Pew survey showed that 52% of Israelis believe West Bank settlements are an obstacle to peace — even as 44% believe they increase the nation’s security.
Historically and spiritually, the West Bank holds deep significance for the Jewish people. Known in antiquity as Judea and Samaria, it was a central region of ancient Jewish life. After the Roman conquest of Judea in the first century CE, the territory changed hands frequently. In modern times, the region was under Turkish rule from 1517-1917 until the Ottoman Empire’s defeat by the British in World War I. Jordan occupied and annexed the West Bank in 1948, before Israel took control after the Six-Day War in 1967. The West Bank also holds significance for the Palestinian people, as home to the second-largest Palestinian population in the world.
The territory of the West Bank has been divided into three areas with different civil and security authorities — Area A, Area B, and Area C, as outlined in the Oslo Accords. Area A is under the full civil and security control of the Palestinian Authority. In Area B, the Palestinian Authority, based in the city of Ramallah, oversees civilian matters and Israel has security control. Area C, which makes up approximately 60% of the West Bank, is under full Israeli civil and security control.