West Bank

American  

[west bangk] / ˈwɛst ˈbæŋk /

noun

1. an area in the Middle East, between the west bank of the Jordan River and the eastern frontier of Israel: occupied in 1967 and subsequently claimed by Israel, with limited Palestinian self-rule in Palestinian-held sectors; formerly held by Jordan.

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West Bank British  

noun

1. a semi-autonomous Palestinian region in the Middle East on the W bank of the River Jordan, comprising the hills of Judaea and Samaria and part of Jerusalem: formerly part of Palestine (the entity created by the League of Nations in 1922 and operating until 1948): became part of Jordan after the ceasefire of 1949: occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. In 1993 a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization provided for the West Bank to become a self-governing Palestinian area; a new Palestinian National Authority assumed control of parts of the territory in 1994–95, but subsequent talks broke down and Israel reoccupied much of this in 2001–02 and continues to maintain most existing Israeli settlements. Pop: 2 676 740 (2013 est). Area: 5879 sq km (2270 sq miles)

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West Bank Cultural  

1. Land on the west bank of the Jordan River (see also Jordan River), formerly in the hands of Jordan, but captured by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967. Israel has agreed to hand over part of the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority, but the Israeli government has been widely criticized for continuing to move civilian settlers as well as soldiers into the area. In 2001, in response to terrorist suicide bombings (see terrorism), Israel staged heavy military strikes against Palestinian cities in the West Bank.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

West Bank

Excluding east Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians, as well as about 500,000 Israeli settlers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

The military's commander for the West Bank, Major General Avi Bluth, himself attended the Bnei David pre-military academy in the settlement of Eli.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

They live in what is known as Area B, part of the West Bank under Palestinian administrative control and Israeli security control.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

A strong supporter of Israel, Huckabee ran a tour company that brought thousands of Christian pilgrims to Israel and the West Bank and never had problems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Then the taxi headed into the rural West Bank of orchards and tiny villages, each with its own minaret and perched houses.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye