Map of the West Bank, which sits to the west of the Jordan River, and is part of the territory designated by the UN for a Palestinian state when the region was partitioned in 1947/1948.

August 1, 2024 – John Oliver’s summary of the situation in the West Bank from his HBO Show “This Week Tonight”

The Oslo Accords of 1993 divided the West Bank into areas A, B, and C, ostensibly as an interim step to transition authority from Israeli occupying forces to a newly established Palestinian Authority. Thirty years have passed since Oslo with no progress in handing land over to the Palestinian Authority. Instead, the situation for Palestinians has grown increasingly more dire.

The Oslo Accords of 1993 divided the West Bank into areas A, B, and C, ostensibly as an interim step to transition authority from Israeli occupying forces to a newly established Palestinian Authority.  In exchange, Yasser Arafat, acting on behalf of the Palestinians, acknowledged Israel’s right to exist in peace, and renounced terrorism. In exchange, Israel acknowledged Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the representative of the Palestinian people.

Key points of difference, including the status of Jerusalem, the Israeli settlements, the status of refugees and the exact borders of Israel and Palestine were left to future discussions.

Crucially, Israel did not recognize a Palestinian state. Instead, Israel has used the period since Oslo to make the possibility of a Palestinian state ever more unlikely by creating “facts on the ground” in the form of:

1. Expanded settlements, which are illegal by International Law. The population of settlers was estimated to be 110,000 in 1993; today estimates range from “over 500,000” (Associated Press) to 700,000 (CBS).

2. Ongoing harassment and terrorizing of Palestinians in the West Bank, including through home demolitions, “administrative detentions,” checkpoints, restricted roads and other tactics that make life miserable for residents. Circumstances in the West Bank are portrayed by the Oscar-Award winning documentary, “No Other Land“