6 Israeli Land Grab and Forced Population Transfer of Palestinians West Bank Following the 1995 Oslo Accord, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and C. The three administrative areas correlate to about 17 percent, 23 percent and 60 percent of West Bank territory and reflect tiers of civil and security control allocated to Israel and the Palestinian National Authority. In theory, the Oslo Agreements endowed the Palestinian National Authority (PNA; commonly known as Palestinian Authority [PA]) with full control over civil and security matters in Area A, while Israel was awarded control of movement across Area A’s borders. Nonetheless, Area A, consisting of the most populous Palestinian cities and towns, falls short of sovereignty and is subject to frequent Israeli military raids. In Area B, which consists of inhabited but rural regions, the Palestinian Authority is responsible for civil matters and public order, but military functions remain under the control of the Israeli military. Areas A and B are divided into 227 non-contiguous areas separated by Israeli military checkpoints and barriers. Area C, which is under full Israeli military and administrative control and accounts for the majority of West Bank land, consists of Israeli colonies, roads for colonies, military zones, strategic areas, water reservoirs and almost all of the Jordan Valley.7 Israel operates a discriminatory legal system within Area C of the West Bank whereby Israeli colonists are given the full protections of Israeli civil law while Palestinians are subject to a military legal rule allowing for a widespread abuse of rights. Table 1: Areas and Population Rates in the West Bank. 7 8 West Bank Area Control (as stipulated in the Oslo Accords) Land area in percent Palestinian population in percent ‘A’ Palestinian 15% 55% ‘B’ Israeli/Palestinian 25% 39% ‘C’ Israeli 60% 6%8 Diakonia, ‘The Oslo Agreements’, Easy Guide to International Humanitarian Law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt), June 21, 2007; available from http://www.diakonia.se/sa/node. asp?node=1125; accessed 14 May 2013. OCHA, Area C Humanitarian Response Plan Fact Sheet (August 2010), 1–2; available from http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_area_c_humanitarian_response_plan_fact_ sheet_2010_09_03_english.pdf; accessed 22 April 2013.