Israel Gives Control of West Bank to Palestinians
The transfer of control of the West Bank from Israel to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) marked a significant moment in Israeli-Palestinian relations, culminating on January 19, 1997. This event was part of a series of peace accords facilitated by international mediation, aiming to establish a framework for governance in the region, which has been historically fraught with tension. The West Bank, a territory rich in cultural and religious significance, including cities like Jerusalem and Bethlehem, has a majority Palestinian population with deep historical ties to the land following the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948.
Despite the intentions behind the transfer, the arrangement failed to stabilize relations between the two groups, leading to renewed violence and conflict, particularly evident in the early 2000s with the outbreak of Palestinian attacks and Israeli military responses. The region, previously under Jordanian rule until the 1967 Six-Day War, remains a focal point of contention, with both sides accusing each other of failing to adhere to peace agreements. The ongoing tensions illustrate the complexities of the situation, as both Israeli and Palestinian communities seek security, recognition, and autonomy in a landscape marked by a tumultuous history and competing national narratives. The future of the West Bank and its governance continues to be uncertain, reflecting broader issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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Israel Gives Control of West Bank to Palestinians
Israel Gives Control of West Bank to Palestinians
On January 19, 1997, Israel completed the transfer of control over major West Bank cities to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). It was an important step in Israeli-Palestinian relations, one which appears to have failed. As of the writing of this book, there is considerable ongoing violence between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and since Israel has reoccupied much of the West Bank the situation can best be described as in a state of flux.
The West Bank is a territory west of the Jordan River in the Middle East. It contains such important holy cities as Jerusalem and Bethlehem as well as other major metropolitan areas, including those of Hebron, Janin, Nablus, and Ramallah. It is approximately 2,200 square miles in size and contains some 1,500,000 inhabitants, most of whom are Palestinians with roots in territories incorporated into neighboring Israel in 1948 from the old state of Palestine. The region was ruled by Jordan until 1967, when Israel won the Six-Day War with its Arab neighbors and occupied the West Bank.
Tensions between the Israeli occupiers and the Palestinians were high throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and they rose during periods of open rebellion, such as the Intifada that began in 1987. The PLO, which has been the primary Palestinian political and military organization for decades, encouraged and organized much of the violence committed by Palestinians. The Israelis were often equally violent in their retaliations. Nevertheless, thanks in large part to American mediation and diplomatic pressure, Israel and the PLO were able to agree on a number of peace accords between 1993 and 1997. Despite deep misgivings about Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the Israelis agreed to turn over most of the West Bank to the newly formed Palestinian Authority, which would be under his control. This was accomplished by January 19, 1997, although Israel retained control over some small, primarily Jewish areas. The arrangement did not work out, however. Each side accused the other of violating the agreements, and a new spate of Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israel in the fall of 2000 brought Mideast tensions to a boil. As Palestinian suicide attacks began to take an unprecedented number of lives in Israel, even within the capital of Tel Aviv, the Israelis took aggressive military action against the Palestinians in the West Bank and against the PLO and Arafat's headquarters. How the situation will be resolved, if at all, remains to be seen.