What are Judea and Samaria, also called the West Bank?

Two names are used for the same area of highland. Judea and Samaria is the Hebrew and biblical name, used by Israel, for the hills east of the 1949 armistice line, between the coastal plain and the Jordan River. Most international organizations and media say West Bank. The two names refer to largely the same territory. They reflect different histories and different claims about who the land belongs to. This site uses Judea and Samaria and notes West Bank when a source uses it.

Geography

Judea is the southern highland, including Hebron, Bethlehem and the Etzion bloc. Samaria is the northern highland, including Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm and Qalqilya. Jerusalem lies between them, and the Jordan Valley forms the eastern slope toward the river. The 1949 armistice line, often called the Green Line, marks the western edge. It was a ceasefire line, not an agreed border.

History in brief

The names Judea and Samaria date to ancient kingdoms and appear in the Bible. West Bank is the name that came into use after Jordan took control of the area in 1948, as the bank of the river west of Jordan. Jordan annexed the territory in 1950. Few countries recognized the annexation. Israel took control of the area in the 1967 war and has administered it since. Israel describes its presence in terms of security and historical ties. Others describe it as an occupation. The status of the Israeli communities there is disputed.

Areas under the Oslo Accords

The Oslo Accords of the 1990s divided the area into three zones. In Area A, the Authority based in Ramallah has civil and security responsibility, mainly in the large Arab cities. In Area B it has civil responsibility and Israel has security responsibility. In Area C, most of the land, Israel has civil and security control. Israel retains the right to enter Area A, and the IDF conducts raids there. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and Hamas took control there in 2007.

Why the name matters

Choosing a name is often read as taking a position. Israeli official Hebrew uses Yehuda ve-Shomron. International organizations use West Bank. Arab and Jewish residents live in the area, in towns, villages, camps and Israeli communities, and both have historical ties to it. Naza: The Real Story is an Israeli film about the war in Gaza. It refers to Judea and Samaria only as a separate area of the same war, which the blog covers in another post.