Jordanian annexation of the West Bank
West Bank الضفة الغربية Aḍ-Ḍiffah l-Ġarbiyyah | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–1967 | |||||||||
Contemporary map, 1955 | |||||||||
| Status | Area annexed by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan | ||||||||
| Capital | Amman | ||||||||
| Common languages | Arabic | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam (majority) Christianity (minority) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
| 14 May 1948 | |||||||||
• Annexation | 24 April 1950 | ||||||||
| 5–10 June 1967 | |||||||||
| 31 July 1988 | |||||||||
| Currency | Jordanian dinar | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Israeli occupation of the West Bank, claimed by Palestine, widely recognized as Palestinian territory. | ||||||||
The Jordanian administration of the West Bank officially began on 24 April 1950, and ended with the decision to sever ties on 31 July 1988. The period started during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, when Jordan occupied and subsequently annexed the portion of Mandatory Palestine that became known as the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The territory remained under Jordanian control until it was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War and eventually Jordan renounced its claim to the territory in 1988.
During the December 1948 Jericho Conference, hundreds of Palestinian notables in the West Bank gathered, accepted Jordanian rule and recognized Abdullah as ruler. The West Bank was formally annexed on 24 April 1950, but the annexation was widely considered as illegal and void by most of the international community, including the Arab League, which ultimately decided to treat Jordan as a temporary trustee pending future settlement. Recognition of Jordan's declaration of annexation was granted only by the United Kingdom, Iraq, and possibly Pakistan. The United States while avoiding public approval, also recognized this extension of Jordanian sovereignty.
When Jordan transferred its full citizenship rights to the residents of the West Bank, the annexation more than tripled the population of Jordan, going from 400,000 to 1,300,000. The naturalized Palestinians were given half of the seats of the Jordanian parliament.