Area A منطقة أ שטח א | |
|---|---|
 The shaded areas represent Area A | |
| Established | 1995 |
| Largest city | Nablus (156,906) |
| Currency | Israeli new shekel Jordanian dinar |
Area A (Arabic:منطقة أ,romanized: minṭaqaalif;Hebrew:שטח א,romanized: Shetakh A) is an area under the civil and security control of thePalestinian National Authority. It represents about 18% of the area and 55% of the population of theWest Bank.[1]
The largest cities in Area A include the following cities and their surroundings:Nablus,Jenin,Tulkarm,Qalqilya,Ramallah,Bethlehem,Jericho, and 80% ofHebron. There are noIsraeli settlements in Area A.[2]
During the first phase of the implementation of theOslo Accords in 1995, Area A comprised 3% of the West Bank excludingEast Jerusalem.[3]
In 1997, theHebron Protocol divided the city ofHebron was divided into two areas: Area H1, representing approximately 80% of the city, was placed under Palestinian civil and security control (equivalent to Area A), while Area H2, representing the remaining 20%, was placed under Palestinian civil and Israeli security control (equivalent toArea B). H2, which is located in the central part of the city and includes the historic center, is home to approximately 40,000 Palestinians (19% of Hebron's population) and 850 Jewish settlers. Another 8,000 Jews live inKiryat Arba on the outskirts of Hebron.[4]
Since the start of theSecond Intifada in October 2000, Israeli citizens have been completely banned from entering Area A, by order of theIDF's general command. However, the IDF has admitted that in practice, it only ensured thatJewish Israelis complied with the ban, and thatArab Israelis may enter Area A.[5]
During theOperation Defensive Shield in 2002, the Israeli military lifted the ban on military entry and temporarily reoccupied the area in order to suppress theSecond Intifada. Following the end of the Second Intifada in 2005, Israel handed back the sectors of Area A that it controlled back to thePalestinian Authority. Israeli army first withdrew fromJericho,[6] followed byTulkarm andJenin soon afterwards.[7]
Since then, the Israeli military has regularly entered the area, usually at night, to conduct raids to arrest those suspected of involvement in attacks.[8] Such raids are typically coordinated withPalestinian National Security Forces.[9] In recent years, there have been discussion of deepening security cooperation between the IDF and the PA despite lack of diplomatic progress.[10]
As of 2025,Israeli citizens and residents without permits[11] continue to be strictly prohibited by theIsraeli Police and the lower level of the IDF from entering Area A. However, the lower level of the IDF alleged preferential treatment, in that theCivil Administration (also part of the IDF) "looks the other way when Arab-Israeli civilians show up [unpermitted] at Area A checkpoints."[12][13] However, theCitizenship and Entry into Israel Law has disproportionately denied citizenship to Arab citizens of Israel, which limits their options to alaissez passer permit to travel abroad.[14]
