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History of West Bank
From antiquity to the modern era — the historical eras, key events, and narrative that shaped West Bank.
Overview
Islam was brought to the area in the 7th century AD and this area remained under Muslim control except for during the Crusades, until the fall of the Ottoman Empire after WW1.
The British Mandate then controlled Palestine until 1948. During this time the British authority made conflicting offers of a homeland for the Hews and Arabs in Palestine. All the while Jewish immigration to Palestine, which was encouraged by the Zionist movement whose intention was the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine, occurred at a steady pace. Subsequently, during the 1930’s tensions rose between the newly arrived immigrants and indigenous Palestinians. Sporadic violence erupted as the competing sides were at odds with one another and with the British authority. In 1947 Great Britain handed the ’question of Palestine’ over to the United Nations after being unable to resolve the issue.
The years of the Second World War brought incredible suffering on the European Jewry in the Holocaust. At this time the world community and the United Nations hoped to alleviate some of that suffering. The United Nations proposed a partition plan in which 56% of historic Palestine was to comprise the Jewish state and 42% was to become a Palestinian state and 2% an international protectorate for the Holy places. The Jewish side accepted the offer while the Palestinians rejected the offer as disproportionate because, as they saw it, they owned and lived on a majority of the land.
In 1948 a war broke our resulting in the establishment of Israel on 77% of historic Palestine. For Palestinians, this event is known as the Nakba (great catastrophe). Over 700,000 Palestinians were made refugees. The West Bank fell under the control of Jordan and the Gaza Strip under Egypt.
In 1967 Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The United Nations passed Security Council Resolution 242 calling for Israel’s withdrawal from territories it had conquered in the 1967 war. Israel began its policy of building Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land. Since 1967 another mass Palestinian refugee problem was created by displacing persons within the West Bank and Gaza Strip and sending refugees to neighboring Arab countries as well as throughout the world.
Year under Israel occupation culminated in the first intifada (uprising) that began in December 1987. By the early 90’s the suffering in Gaza and the West Bank and changing international political dynamics led to the Oslo Peace Process which handed over autonomous areas to Palestinians and provided a framework for final status negotiations of issues such as Palestinian statehood and other outstanding issues.
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 (PA) 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 provided that Israel would 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 began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifada that broke out in September 2000. In April 2003 the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement has been postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides have not followed through on their commitments. Longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT died in November 2004 and Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA President in January 2005, bringing hope of a turning p
Historical Eras
The major periods of {country}’s history at a glance.
Ancient & Medieval
3000 BCE – 1517
The land of Canaan and later Palestine served as a crossroads of ancient civilizations, inhabited by Canaanites, Israelites, and later conquered by Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, and Byzantines. Arab Muslim forces brought Islam to the region in the 7th century CE, establishing a lasting cultural and religious transformation. The Crusader interlude (1099–1187) was ended by Saladin, after which Mamluk sultans governed the region until the Ottoman conquest.
Ottoman Rule
1517 – 1920
The Ottoman Empire incorporated Palestine into its administrative structure for four centuries, governing the region as part of the provinces of Syria and later the Vilayet of Beirut and the Sanjak of Jerusalem. The late Ottoman period saw the rise of Arab nationalist sentiment and the beginnings of Zionist immigration, creating early demographic and political tensions. Ottoman defeat in World War I ended this era and opened Palestine to European mandatory control.
British Mandate
1920 – 1948
Britain administered Palestine under a League of Nations mandate, having made conflicting promises of a homeland to both Arab and Jewish communities. Accelerating Jewish immigration, encouraged by the Zionist movement, intensified intercommunal violence through the 1930s and 1940s. Unable to resolve competing national claims, Britain handed the question to the United Nations in 1947, which proposed a partition plan that sparked the 1948 war.
Jordanian Administration
1948 – 1967
The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, known to Palestinians as the Nakba, resulted in over 700,000 Palestinian refugees and the West Bank coming under Jordanian control, formally annexed in 1949. Jordan extended citizenship to West Bank Palestinians while suppressing independent Palestinian political organization. East Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites, remained under Jordanian administration throughout this period.
Israeli Occupation
1967 – 1993
Israel's victory in the June 1967 Six-Day War brought the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip under Israeli military occupation, prompting UN Security Council Resolution 242 calling for Israeli withdrawal. Israel systematically established Jewish settlements on occupied land, displacing additional Palestinian populations. Decades of occupation, land confiscation, and restricted movement culminated in the First Intifada, which began in December 1987 and reshaped international pressure toward a negotiated solution.
Palestinian Authority Era
1993 – present
The Oslo Accords, signed on 13 September 1993, established the Palestinian Authority and granted limited self-governance over designated areas of the West Bank and Gaza, with subsequent agreements—including the 1995 Interim Agreement and 1998 Wye River Memorandum—extending PA jurisdiction incrementally. The first Palestinian legislative elections were held in January 1996, and Yasser Arafat served as president until his death in 2004. The Second Intifada (2000–2005), Israel's 2002 siege of Arafat's Ramallah compound, and Gaza's separation under Hamas from 2007 onward have kept final-status negotiations unresolved.
Timeline Preview
The first 7 key events. View the full chronology on the timeline page.
1949
The West Bank was declared part of Jordanian territory.
The West Bank was declared part of Jordanian territory after Israel and Jordan signed armistice agreements in 1949.
1993
Negotiations in Norway culminate in the signing of the Declaration of Principles.
Negotiations in Norway culminate in the signing of the Declaration of Principles between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The Palestinians consent to recognizing Israel. In return, Israel would gradually dismantle its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and transfer authority to an interim Palestinian Authority (PA), initiated by a 1994 agreement.
1996
The country’s first national elections.
In the country’s first national elections, Palestinians elect Yasser Arafat as the PA’s chairman as well as members of the Palestinian Authority legislative body, the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
1998
Under the Wye River Memorandum, Israel agrees to further withdrawals from the West Bank.
Under the Wye River Memorandum, Israel agrees to further withdrawals from the West Bank.
2002
Israeli forces besiege Yasser Arafat’s Ramallah compound.
Israeli forces besiege Yasser Arafat’s Ramallah compound and reoccupy almost all of the West Bank. Arafat signs the Palestinian Authority Basic Law, which provides the legal foundation for the PA.
2004
The PA holds municipal elections in 26 West Bank localities.
The PA holds municipal elections in 26 West Bank localities for the first time in almost three decades.
2005
Israel evacuates its settlers and withdraws troops from Gaza.
Israel evacuates its settlers and withdraws troops from Gaza, ending almost 40 years of military occupation.