Editing West Bank (section)

===Political status===
{{Main|Status of territories occupied by Israel in 1967}}
[[File:Bush abbas presidential guard.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|right|U.S. President [[George W. Bush|George Bush]] and [[Mahmoud Abbas]] in [[Ramallah]], 2008]]
The future status of the West Bank, together with the [[Gaza Strip]] on the Mediterranean shore, has been the subject of negotiation between the Palestinians and Israelis, although the 2002 [[Road Map for Peace]], proposed by the "[[Quartet on the Middle East|Quartet]]" comprising the United States, Russia, the [[European Union]], and the United Nations, envisions an independent Palestinian state in these territories living side by side with [[Israel]] (see also [[history of the State of Palestine]]). However, the "Road Map" states that in the first phase, Palestinians must end all attacks on Israel, whereas Israel must dismantle all outposts.

The [[Palestinian Authority]] believes that the West Bank ought to be a part of their sovereign nation, and that the presence of Israeli military control is a violation of their right to Palestinian Authority rule. The United Nations calls the West Bank and Gaza Strip ''[[Israeli-occupied territories]]''. The United States State Department also refers to the territories as ''occupied''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3464.htm |title=Jordan (03/08) |publisher=State.gov |access-date=9 October 2008 |archive-date=4 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604185040/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3464.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/t/pm/64711.htm |title=Israel |publisher=State.gov |access-date=9 October 2008 |archive-date=6 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206082956/http://2001-2009.state.gov/t/pm/64711.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90212.htm#OT |title=Israel and the Occupied Territories |date=14 September 2007 |publisher=State.gov |access-date=9 October 2008 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225221837/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90212.htm#OT |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2005 the United States ambassador to Israel, [[Daniel C. Kurtzer]], expressed U.S. support "for the retention by Israel of major Israeli population centres [in the West Bank] as an outcome of negotiations",<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4382343.stm 'US will accept Israel settlements'] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312191029/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4382343.stm |date=12 March 2007 }}, BBC News Online, 25 March 2005.</ref> reflecting [[George W. Bush|President Bush]]'s statement a year earlier that a permanent peace treaty would have to reflect "demographic realities" on the West Bank.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4445839.stm 'UN Condemns Israeli settlements'] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822064952/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4445839.stm |date=22 August 2006 }}, BBC News Online, 14 April 2005.</ref> In May 2011 US President Barack Obama officially stated US support for a future Palestinian state based on borders prior to the 1967 War, allowing for land swaps where they are mutually agreeable between the two sides. Obama was the first US president to formally support the policy, but he stated that it had been one long held by the US in its Middle East negotiations.<ref name=CNNObama>{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=Tom |title=Obama calls for Israel's return to pre-1967 borders |url=https://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/19/obama.israel.palestinians/index.html |access-date=11 May 2012 |publisher=CNN|date=19 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501083901/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-19/politics/obama.israel.palestinians_1_israel-palestinian-conflict-borders-settlements?_s=PM:POLITICS |archive-date=1 May 2012}}</ref><ref name=HzObama>{{cite news |last1=Mozgovaya |first1=Natasha |title=Obama to AIPAC: 1967 borders reflect long-standing U.S. policy |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/obama-to-aipac-1967-borders-reflect-long-standing-u-s-policy-1.363351 |access-date=11 May 2012 |newspaper=Haaretz |date=22 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516115436/http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/obama-to-aipac-1967-borders-reflect-long-standing-u-s-policy-1.363351 |archive-date=16 May 2012}}</ref>

In December 2016, [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334|a resolution]] was adopted by [[United Nations Security Council]] that condemned Israel's settlement activity as a "flagrant violation" of international law with "no legal validity". It demands that Israel stop such activity and fulfill its obligations as an occupying power under the [[Fourth Geneva Convention]].<ref name=resolution_text>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sc12657.doc.htm |title=Israel's Settlements Have No Legal Validity, Constitute Flagrant Violation of International Law, Security Council Reaffirms: 14 Delegations in Favour of Resolution 2334 (2016) as United States Abstains |publisher=United Nations |date=23 December 2016 |access-date=25 December 2016 |archive-date=22 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222235715/https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sc12657.doc.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=BBC>{{cite news |title=Israeli settlements: UN Security Council calls for an end |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38421026 |access-date=23 December 2016 |publisher=BBC News |date=23 December 2016 |archive-date=26 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226190109/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38421026 |url-status=live }}</ref> The United States abstained from the vote.<ref name=powers_statement>{{cite web |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-us-envoy-samantha-powers-speech-after-abstention-on-anti-settlement-vote/ |title=Full text of US envoy Samantha Power's speech after abstention on anti-settlement vote |website=[[The Times of Israel]] |access-date=24 December 2016 |archive-date=24 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224143533/http://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-us-envoy-samantha-powers-speech-after-abstention-on-anti-settlement-vote/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=BBC/>

In 2020, President [[Donald Trump]] unveiled a [[2020 Trump Israel–Palestine plan|peace plan]], radically different from previous peace plans. The plan failed to gain support.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/world/middleeast/peace-plan.html |title=Trump Releases Mideast Peace Plan That Strongly Favors Israel |first1=Michael |last1=Crowley |first2=David M. |last2=Halbfinger |newspaper=The New York Times |date=28 January 2020 |access-date=1 April 2022 |archive-date=26 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226003653/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/world/middleeast/peace-plan.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2021/05/25/trump-accords-between-israel-arab-nations-tested-gaza-conflict/5078845001/ |title=Trump touted the Abraham Accords as a 'new dawn' for the Middle East. 9 months later, Gaza erupted. |first=Courtney |last=Subramanian |website=USA Today |access-date=1 April 2022 |archive-date=16 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616072903/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2021/05/25/trump-accords-between-israel-arab-nations-tested-gaza-conflict/5078845001/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

West Bank was ranked 10th most electoral [[democracy in the Middle East and North Africa]] according to [[V-Dem Democracy indices]] in 2024 with a score of 0.254 out of one.<ref name="report">[https://v-dem.net/documents/43/v-dem_dr2024_lowres.pdf Democracy Report 2024, Varieties of Democracy]</ref>

{{Anchor|Geography}}