What is happening in Area C of the West Bank

JVL Introduction

We have posted several pieces about Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills and also about Jenin and Tulkarm but the Jordan Valley and many parts of the West Bank are experiencing similar horrors to Masafer Yatta.  The Jordan Valley is also being emptied of its people as the attacks become intolerable.  After decades of endurance, the ramping up of attacks since October 7th 2023 has meant that more and more Palestinians are finding it impossible to stay on their own land.

Below this article from +972 are some soldiers’ own testimonies of what they have seen and sometimes done in Area C of the West Bank.

What is Area C of the West Bank? Under the Oslo Accords in 1995, some 61% of the West Bank was allocated for control by Israel for a 5 year period, after which, by 2000, there would be a Palestinian State. The other parts of the West Bank – Area A (just 18%) was allocated to be under full control of the newly created Palestinian Authority (PA), which would be in control of civil and security matters.  Area A is scattered and comprises most of the larger towns such as Bethlehem, Jenin, Ramallah, Yatta and so on.  Area B (the remaining 21%) are the Palestinian villages where the PA would be in charge of civil matters and Israel security.  In truth, as we have seen time and time again in places such as Jenin and Nablus, Israel enters Area A towns with ease, making arrests and even destroying parts, especially refugee camps,. Since the Palestinian State has never come into being, it has enabled greater settlement expansion; all settlements are in Area C, which many Israelis simply regard as their land.  Some Israelis simply see Area C as “disputed territories ” and some simply as Israel’s land.   (This 2019 Al Jazeera article provides more information on the supposedly temporary carving up of the West Bank.)

The testimonies were posted on the Breaking The Silence Facebook page; you can read more on their website Breaking the Silence

LL

This article was originally published by +972 on Wed 19 Mar 2025. Read the original here.