West Bank
The West Bank is a piece of land in the Middle East. It touches the Dead Sea and the River Jordan. The landscape is mostly hills or desert. The weather in the summer is hot and dry. It is cooler and rainy in the winter. Right now, the area is under the control of Israel. Some Israelis and other nations disagree on whose it really is. Since 1990 there are talks between the Israeli government and the Palestinians about what will happen in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the future. Most people on the West Bank are Palestinians but there are also many Jewish settlers in settlements. There has been some controversy about these settlements.
The State of Palestine claims the West Bank with East Jerusalem included.
The West Bank is called Judea and Samaria Area by the Israeli government and some Jews and Christians.
West Bank Media
City of Bethlehem, West Bank
The Cave of the Patriarchs is one of the most famous holy sites in the region.
King Hussein flying over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem when it was under Jordanian control, 1965
City of Jericho, West Bank
U.S. President George Bush and Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, 2008
View of the Judaean Mountains from Ramallah
Map of West Bank settlements and closures in January 2006: Yellow = Palestinian urban centers. Light pink = closed military areas or settlement boundary areas or areas isolated by the Israeli West Bank barrier; dark pink = settlements, outposts or military bases. The black line = route of the Barrier
Greater Jerusalem, May 2006. CIA remote sensing map showing areas considered settlements, plus refugee camps, fences, walls, etc.
Map of Israeli settlements and Area C (magenta and blue), 2020
