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Situated in the very heart of modern day Israel, Judea & Samaria lie alongside Israel’s eastern boundary with Jordan, to the north and south of Jerusalem. The media often refers to this area as “The West Bank,” for it lies on the west bank of the Jordan River dividing the modern State of Israel from Jordan. The area is often compared to the shape of a kidney bean.
Covering about 21% of modern Israel, Judea and Samaria span 3,438 square miles (5,500 square km). It stretches approximately 79 miles (125 km) from north to south and has a varying width of 19-34 miles (30-55 km) from east to west. This area includes the suburbs surrounding Jerusalem, regions east of Tel Aviv, and stretches up to the Jordan River on the east.
Most of the famous cities of the Bible are located inside Judea and Samaria, including Hebron, Bethlehem, Bethel, Shechem and Shiloh.
Judea and Samaria encompass Israel’s central mountain range, offering a panoramic view from 1,100 meters above sea level of Tel Aviv, Israel’s bustling hub, and Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s primary airport.
“Judea” refers to the area south of Jerusalem, which was historically the territory of the Israelite tribe of Judah.
“Samaria” refers to the hilly territory north of Jerusalem, which was historically the territory of the tribes of Benjamin, Manasseh and Ephraim. The name “Samaria” derives from the capital city built by the ancient Israelite King Omri in this region (I Kings 16:24)
Over 500,000 Jews currently live in Judea & Samaria. There are four large Jewish cities and close to 200 Jewish towns and villages in the region. There are approximately two million Arabs in Judea and Samaria, although this number is questionable.
According to Naomi Kahn, the International Director of Regavim, “[When the Oslo Accords were implemented in the early 1990s], there was no data on how many Arabs were living in any of the areas of Judea and Samaria. The UN and the Palestinian Authority have vested interests in inflating their numbers. The PA does not take censuses and they do not hold elections so it is impossible to know. UNRWA data classifies descendants of refugees as residents of the region even if they have never been there.”
Israel is a small country, and Judea & Samaria are adjacent to its largest population centers. Netanya, a coastal city on the Mediterranean, is just 9 miles from Judea and Samaria, while Tel Aviv is only an 11-mile journey from the region. Ben Gurion Airport stands a short 4 miles from J&S.