Israeli-occupied territories

Qumran Caves The Israeli-occupied territories are the territories which have been designated as occupied territory by many international organisations, governments and others to refer to the territory captured by Israel from Egypt , Jordan , and Syria during the Six-Day War of 1967. They consist of the West Bank , the Gaza Strip and much of the Golan Heights and, until 1982, the Sinai Peninsula . The West Bank and Gaza Strip are also referred to as Palestinian territories or Occupied Palestinian Territory . Palestinian Authority and numerous international bodies consider East Jerusalem to be part of the West Bank, a position disputed by Israel. Israel prefers the term "Disputed Territories" in the case of West Bank The first use of the term was in United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 following the Six Day War in 1967, which called for "the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East" to be achieved by "the application of both the following principles: ... Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict ... Termination of all claims or states of belligerency" and respect for the right of every state in the area to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries. Following Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982, as part of the 1979 Israel–Egypt Peace Treaty , that territory ceased to be considered occupied territory. Although Israel unilaterally disengaged from Gaza in September 2005, it continues to be designated the occupying power in the Gaza Strip by the United Nations , the United States , the United Kingdom and various human rights organizations. Israel disputes it is the occupying power in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli-occupied territories are the territories occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt , Jordan , and Syria . They consist of the West Bank , including East Jerusalem ; much of the Golan Heights ; the Gaza Strip , and, until 1982, the Sinai Peninsula . Israel maintains that the West Bank is disputed territory and asserts that since the disengagement from Gaza in 2005, it no longer occupies it. The West Bank and Gaza Strip are also referred to as the Palestinian territories or Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Palestinian Authority , the EU , the International Court of Justice , the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council consider East Jerusalem to be part of the West Bank and occupied by Israel; Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital and sovereign territory. West Jerusalem is considered to be occupied by Arab and Palestinian representatives. The International Court of Justice , the UN General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council regards Israel as the "Occupying Power". UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk called Israel’s occupation "an affront to international law." The Israeli High Court of Justice has ruled that Israel holds the West Bank under "belligerent occupation". According to Talia Sasson , the High Court of Justice in Israel , with a variety of different justices sitting, has repeatedly stated for more than four decades that Israel’s presence in the West Bank is in violation of international law. Israeli governments have preferred the term "disputed territories" in the case of the West Bank. The first use of the term 'territories occupied' was in United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 following the Six-Day War in 1967, which called for "the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East" to be achieved by "the application of both the following principles: ... Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict ... Termination of all claims or states of belligerency" and respect for the right of every state in the area to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries. Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem in 1980 (see Jerusalem Law ) and the Golan Heights in 1981 (see Golan Heights Law ) has not been recognised by any other country. United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 declared the annexation of Jerusalem "null and void" and required that it be rescinded. United Nations Security Council Resolution 497 also declared the annexation of the Golan "null and void". Following withdrawal by Israel from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982, as part of the 1979 Israel–Egypt Peace Treaty , the Sinai ceased to be considered occupied territory. Israel unilaterally disengaged from Gaza in September 2005, and declared itself no longer to be in occupation of the Strip. However, as it retains control of Gaza's airspace and coastline, it continues to be designated as an occupying power in the Gaza Strip by the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly and some countries and various human rights organizations. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs . 2009-12-30. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs . 2014-07-18. Whither Jerusalem?: proposals and positions concerning the future of Jerusalem , Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1995. pg. 15. The Jerusalem question and its resolution: selected documents . The Government of Israel . Tomer Zarchin If Israel is not occupying the West Bank it must give up land held by the IDF at Haaretz , 9 July 2012:'For 45 years, different compositions of the High Court of Justice stated again and again that Israel's presence in the West Bank violates international law, which is clearly opposed to Levy's findings.' FAQ: The Peace process with the Palestinians – Dec 2009 .

Territories occupied by Israel in 1967 and 1982 wars The Israeli-occupied territories refers to the territories occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 and sometimes also to areas of Southern Lebanon , where Israeli military was notably present to support local Lebanese militias during the civil war and after it. Originally, those territories included the Syrian Golan Heights , the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula and Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip and Jordanian-annexed West Bank . The first use of the term 'territories occupied' was in United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 following the Six-Day War in 1967, which called for "the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East" to be achieved by "the application of both the following principles: ... Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict ... Termination of all claims or states of belligerency" and respect for the right of every state in the area to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries. In addition to the territories occupied following the Six-Day War, Israel also occupied portions of Southern Lebanon following the 1982 Lebanon War , and maintained a military presence there until withdrawing in 2000. From 1967 to 1981, the four areas were governed under the Israeli Military Governorate , referred to by the UN as occupied Arab territories . The IMG was dissolved in 1981, after the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty . In the process, Israel handed the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, the Golan Heights was incorporated into the Northern District by the Golan Heights Law , and West Bank continued to be administrated via the Israeli Civil Administration , which the UN continued to refer to as the occupied Arab territories . Despite dissolving the military government, in line with Egyptian demands, the term Occupied Arab territories had remained in use, referring to the West Bank including East Jerusalem , the Gaza Strip and Western Golan Heights . From 1999 to early 2013, the term Palestinian territories, Occupied became utilized to refer to territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The International Court of Justice, the UN General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council regards Israel as the "Occupying Power". UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk called Israel's occupation "an affront to international law." The Israeli High Court of Justice has ruled that Israel holds the West Bank under "belligerent occupation" . According to Talia Sasson , the High Court of Justice in Israel , with a variety of different justices sitting, has repeatedly stated for more than four decades that international law applies to Israel's presence in the West Bank. Israeli governments have preferred the term "disputed territories" in the case of the West Bank. Officially Israel maintains that the West Bank is disputed territory . Israel asserts that since the disengagement of Israel from Gaza in 2005, Israel no longer occupies the Gaza Strip . However, as it retained certain control of Gaza's airspace and coastline, as of 2012 it continued to be designated as an occupying power in the Gaza Strip by the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly and some countries and various human rights organizations. Strongly deplores the continued refusal of Israel, the occupying Power, to comply with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly; Ruth Lapidoth; Moshe Hirsch (1994). The Times of Israel . The Government of Israel . This is a colossal turnaround, which I do not think is within his authority. He can tell the government that he recommends changing legal status, and that's all,' said Sasson. FAQ: The Peace process with the Palestinians – Dec 2009 .

Territories presently occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War Not to be confused with Status of territories occupied by Israel in 1967 . Map showing the status of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories as of 2018 Israel has occupied the Golan Heights of Syria and the Palestinian territories since the Six-Day War of 1967. It has previously occupied the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and southern Lebanon as well. Prior to 1967, control of the Palestinian territories was split between Egypt and Jordan , which occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank , respectively. The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the Golan Heights, where Israel has transferred parts of its population and built large settlements , is the longest military occupation in modern history . From 1967 to 1981, the four areas were administered under the Israeli Military Governorate , and after the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt after the Egypt–Israel peace treaty , Israel effectively annexed the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem in 1980, and brought the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under the Israeli Civil Administration . The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN General Assembly , and the UN Security Council all regard Israel as the occupying power for the territories. In 2024, the ICJ ruled in an advisory opinion that Israel's occupation was illegal and called for Israel to end its "unlawful presence ... as rapidly as possible" and to make reparations to the people of the occupied territories. UN special rapporteur Richard Falk called Israel's occupation "an affront to international law". The Supreme Court of Israel has ruled that Israel is holding the West Bank under "belligerent occupation" . However, successive Israeli governments have preferred the term "disputed territories" in the case of the West Bank, and Israel likewise maintains that the West Bank is disputed territory. In 2005, Israel unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip , but the UN and a number of human rights organizations continue to consider Israel as the occupying power due to its blockade of the territory ; Israel rejects this characterization. Strongly deplores the continued refusal of Israel, the occupying Power, to comply with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly; Ruth Lapidoth; Moshe Hirsch (1994). The Times of Israel . This is a colossal turnaround, which I do not think is within his authority. He can tell the government that he recommends changing legal status, and that's all,' said Sasson.