West Bank: Background & Geography
| Introduction | West Bank |
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Background:
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The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank that began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in September 2000. The resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and instability within the Palestinian Authority continue to undermine progress toward a permanent agreement. |
| Geography | West Bank |
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Location:
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Middle East, west of Jordan |
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Geographic coordinates:
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32 00 N, 35 15 E |
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Map references:
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Middle East |
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Area:
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total: 5,860 sq km
note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967 water: 220 sq km land: 5,640 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Delaware |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 404 km
border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
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none (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters |
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m |
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Natural resources:
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arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: NEGL%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 244 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts(August 2003 est.) |