Palestinian Territories

From dKosopedia

The Palestinian Territories are located in the Middle East. They consist of the Gaza Strip (bordering Egypt) and Judea and Samaria (bordering Jordan).

By United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 of November 29, 1947, partitioning Mandatory Palestine, portions of these Territories (excluding greater Jerusalem), along with parts of what is now Israel, were supposed to comprise an Arab State. The Arab states and the Palestinian Arabs rejected the UN partition resolution, however, and attempted to prevent Israel from coming into existence. During the course of its successful defense, Israel captured some of the territory allocated to the Arab state. Jordan captured and annexed the West Bank, granting Jordanian citizenship to its Arab residents (Jewish residents having been expelled). Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip.

As a result of the military defeat of Jordan and Egypt by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip came under Israeli control.

On November 22, 1967 the United Nations passed UN Resolution 242. The text of this resolution can be read at http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/israel-palestine/document/242.htm

The Declaration of Principles (DOP) signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel on September 13, 1993, provided for a transfer of civil control of much of the territories to the Palestinian Authority (PA) over the course of what was supposed to have been a five-year iterim period. The DOP expressly reserved final status issues for further negotiation.

The DOP did provide transfer of civil control of some of the Palestinian Territories, namely first in Area A followed by Area B to the Palestinian Authority. It should be noted that the majority of Palestinian territory remained under complete control of Israel. This territory was in Area C. In addition, East Jerusalem which is part of the Palestinian Territories occupied after the 1967 war remained outside any Palestinian control.

See: Palestinian