Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Palestinians view the West Bank and East Jerusalem as their ancestral homeland, continuously inhabited since antiquity (Canaanite, Israelite, Roman, Arab periods).
Under Ottoman rule (1516–1917), then British Mandate (1920–1948), the area was predominantly Arab Palestinian. The 1947 UN Partition Plan allocated it to the Arab state.
1948 war: Jordan seized West Bank/East Jerusalem. 1967: Israel captured them. UNSC Res. 242 calls for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories.
1990s accords created PA with limited self-rule in Areas A/B; Israel retains security/settlements control (Area C). Palestinians seek full sovereignty.
Israeli settlements (600K+ settlers) deemed illegal under Fourth Geneva Convention; fragment contiguity.
Palestinians demand 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as capital in a two-state solution. Israel disputes Jerusalem's division and retains security zones.
The claim rests on continuous presence, international law, and negotiated agreements.