Infographic: Keeping Palestinians occupied

Twenty years have passed since the signing of the Oslo Accords, the first agreement between Israelis and Palestinians since 1948. The accords led to Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s mutual recognition of one another, stipulated the withdrawal of Israeli forces from some Palestinian territory, and created the Palestinian Authority to govern the West Bank and Gaza.

However, Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories has continued until today, and the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank has doubled since the Oslo Accords were inked. Today, about 20 percent of the West Bank’s population are settlers.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian territories have become increasingly divided: The Fatah movement rules the West Bank, while its rival Hamas has controlled Gaza since elections in 2006. This led to a tight Israeli blockade of Gaza, and two Israeli assaults on the territory: Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09, and Operation Pillar of Defence in 2012.

The Oslo II Accords, signed in 1995, divided the West Bank into three divisions known as Area A, Area B, and Area C. This has split the territory into 167 enclaves, and Area C, which comprises about 60 percent of the West Bank’s land mass, is under full Israeli control.

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