For over fifty years Israel has wielded direct or indirect control over the entire West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. Under its rule, millions of Palestinians have had no political rights nor any say in determining their present or their future. It is a reality that is inherently violent and undemocratic. It is a reality that must be brought to an end.
Ever since 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, it has marshaled all its legislative, legal, planning, funding and defense authorities in order to fragment Palestinian space, dividing it into dozens of separate sections, which are easier to rule and exploit, and in order to break up Palestinian social and spatial fabric: In the West Bank, Israel minimized Palestinian presence, condensing it into dozens of densely populated and unconnected enclaves, while exploiting the majority of West Bank resources for its own benefit. In addition, Israel annexed thousands of hectares of West Bank land, which it then placed within Jerusalem’s municipal borders. In the Gaza Strip, nearly two million Palestinians are essentially imprisoned on a small bit of land in appalling conditions, due to the Israeli policy of cutting off Gaza from the rest of the world, including from the West Bank.
This interactive map follows a timeline illustrating the implementation of the various measures Israel has implemented to achieve this reality.