One of the three administrative divisions, areas A, B, and C, established in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip by the 1995 Oslo II Accords. The agreement placed the Palestinian Authority in charge of civil control in Area B zones, while Israel would have the “overriding responsibility for security.” Area B comprises approximately 19.5 percent of the West Bank. Approximately 440 Palestinian villages are categorized as Area B. Palestinians and goods leaving and entering the partitioned areas of the West Bank usually must pass through Israeli checkpoints; Palestinians have no control over these boundaries. Many Palestinian farmers must obtain permits to access their lands because they live in areas A or B, but their farms are in Area C. Only about 8.5 percent of the Jerusalem governorate is Area B; the vast majority of the rest of the district (including areas under municipal control) is Area C, falling under complete Israeli control.
See Area A, Area C, Oslo Accords.