From the early 16th century through 1917 the area now known as the West Bank fell under Ottoman rule. Following World War I the Allied powers (France UK Russia) allocated the area to the British Mandate of Palestine. After World War II the UN passed a resolution to establish two states within the Mandate and designated a territory including what is now known as the West Bank as part of the proposed Arab state. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War the area was captured by Transjordan (later renamed Jordan). Jordan annexed the West Bank in 1950. In June 1967 Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. With the exception of East Jerusalem roughly 60% of the West Bank remains under Israeli military control. Israel transferred security and civilian responsibility for a number of Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority (PA) under a series of agreements signed between 1994 and 1999 the so-called “Oslo Accords.” Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled after the outbreak of an intifada in mid-2000. In early 2003 the 'Quartet' of the US EU UN and Russia presented a roadmap to a final peace settlement by 2005 calling for two states - Israel and a democratic Palestine.
Following Palestinian leader Yassir ARAFAT's death in late 2004 and the subsequent election of Mahmoud ABBAS (head of the Fatah political faction) as PA president Israel and the Palestinians agreed to move the peace process forward. Israel in late 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and redeployed its military from several West Bank settlements but continues to control maritime airspace and other access. In early 2006 the Islamic Resistance Movement HAMAS won the Palestinian Legislative Council election and took control of the PA government. Attempts to form a unity government failed and violent clashes between Fatah and HAMAS supporters ensued culminating in HAMAS's violent seizure of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. Fatah and HAMAS have made several attempts at reconciliation but the factions have been unable to implement details on governance and security. In an attempt to reenergize peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians France in June 2016 hosted a ministerial meeting that included participants from 29 countries although not Israel or the Palestinians to lay the groundwork for an envisioned 'multilateral peace conference' later in the year.

arable land: 7.4%
permanent crops: 11%
permanent pasture: 24.9%

urban: 50.7% of population
rural: 81.5% of population
total: 58.4% of population
urban: 49.3% of population
rural: 18.5% of population
total: 41.6% of population

urban: 93% of population
rural: 90.2% of population
total: 92.3% of population
urban: 7% of population
rural: 9.8% of population
total: 7.7% of population

Israeli-Palestinian violence in 2015 exacerbated challenges to economic growth in the West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian Territories. Increased security restrictions and political instability slowed economic activity and Israel’s four-month withholding of taxes and other fees it collects on the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) behalf caused the PA to delay salary payments to its employees which in turn had broader effects on business activity and consumer demand.
Longstanding Israeli closure policies continue to disrupt labor and trade flows and the territory’s industrial capacity limit imports and exports and constrain private sector development. The PA for the foreseeable future will continue to rely heavily on donor aid for its budgetary needs and economic activity.

$21.22 billion (2014 est.)
$20.15 billion (2013 est.)
$19.95 billion (2012 est.)

5.3% (2014 est.)
1% (2013 est.)
6% (2012 est.)

$4,300 (2014 est.)
$4,400 (2013 est.)
$4,600 (2012 est.)

7.8% of GDP (2014 est.)
9.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
5% of GDP (2012 est.)

17.7% (2014 est.)
18.6% (2013 est.)

34.5 (2009 est.)
38.7 (2007 est.)

24.4% of GDP (2014 est.)
23.8% of GDP (2013 est.)

1.2% (2014 est.)
3.1% (2013 est.)

6.8% (31 December 2015 est.)
6.41% (31 December 2014 est.)

$265.5 million (31 December 2015 est.)
$234.8 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$2.399 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$2.16 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$1.418 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$1.147 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$2.634 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$2.532 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$2.45 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

-$2.149 billion (2014 est.)
-$2.383 billion (2013 est.)

$937.4 million (2014 est.)
$1.692 billion (2013 est.)

$5.683 billion (2014 est.)
$6.261 billion (2013 est.)

$1.089 billion (2014 est.)
$1.191 billion (2013 est.)

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar -
3.8869 (2015 est.)
3.578 (2014 est.)
3.578 (2013 est.)
3.86 (2012 est.)
3.5781 (2011 est.)