When looking at the situation of the West Bank through established facts, rather than political narratives, an important question comes up:
Is it accurate to call Israel an occupier of land that was never officially recognized as belonging to anyone else?
Here are the facts:
Fact 1: Who Controlled the West Bank Before 1967?
- From 1517 to 1917, the land was part of the Ottoman Empire.
- From 1917 to 1948, it was controlled by Britain under the British Mandate for Palestine, which included provisions for establishing a Jewish national home.
- From 1948 to 1967, Jordan took control of the West Bank after the Arab-Israeli War. Only two countries in the entire world recognized Jordan’s claim to the West Bank.
- During all this time, there was no independent Palestinian state in the West Bank or anywhere else.
✔️ Fact: The West Bank was never internationally recognized as the sovereign territory of a Palestinian state.
Fact 2: Israel Took Control in 1967 After a Defensive War
In 1967, Israel gained control of the West Bank during the Six-Day War, a war started when surrounding countries mobilized to attack Israel.
✔️ Fact: Israel did not take the land from a Palestinian state. It took it from Jordan, which itself had no widely recognized right to it.
✔️ Fact: Under international law, there was no clear legal owner of the West Bank immediately before Israel’s control.
Fact 3: Jewish Historical Connection to the Land
- The area known today as the West Bank has historically been referred to as Judea and Samaria — the heartland of ancient Jewish civilization.
- Jewish presence in this land dates back over 3,000 years.
- Throughout history, there has always been some level of Jewish population living in the area, even through conquests and expulsions.
✔️ Fact: The Jewish people have a continuous and historically documented connection to the land.
Fact 4: The Palestinian Claim Is Modern
- The identity of a distinct “Palestinian people” seeking national sovereignty in the West Bank only began forming in the 20th century, particularly after Israel’s establishment in 1948.
- Before that, the people living in the area considered themselves part of the broader Arab world, without a movement for a separate Palestinian state.
✔️ Fact: There was no historical Palestinian state in the West Bank before Israel’s presence.
✅ Conclusion Based on Facts
When looking strictly at the facts:
- The West Bank had no recognized legal sovereign before Israel took control.
- Israel’s control began in a defensive war, not through unprovoked aggression.
- There has been an ongoing Jewish historical connection to the land for thousands of years.
- The Palestinian claim to exclusive ownership is relatively recent and was not based on any previous independent state.
✔️ Fact: You cannot “occupy” land that was never officially the legal territory of another recognized state.
✔️ Fact: Describing Israel as “occupying Palestinian land” ignores the complete historical and legal reality.
This is why the situation is far more complex than the slogans suggest. The facts on the ground show that the land was never formally Palestinian territory, and Israel’s control did not replace a legal, sovereign Palestinian state — because none existed.
