The 49th year of Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip was marked this week.  Writing in Middle East Monitor (MEMO), Ben White stated 49 facts about Israel’s military regime that has lasted almost half a century.

What living under israeli #OCCUPATION looks like. pic.twitter.com/duNk6E4zcj

— Achmat (@achmatpandy) May 31, 2016

1. The West Bank – including East Jerusalem – and the Gaza Strip together constitute the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), which have been under Israeli military occupation since June 1967.
2. Prior to Israeli occupation, the West Bank was controlled by Jordan, and the Gaza Strip by Egypt.
3. Before the State of Israel was established in 1948, the West Bank and Gaza Strip were simply parts of Mandate Palestine; their ‘borders’ are the result of Israeli expansion and armistice lines.
4. 300,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip became refugees during Israel’s conquest in June 1967; the vast majority were unable to return.
5. In 1967, Israeli forces ethnically cleansed and destroyed a number of Palestinian villages in the OPT, including Imwas, Beit Nuba, and others.
6. By an odd coincidence of history, Israel’s military occupation of the OPT began not long after the military regime over Palestinian citizens of Israel had formally ended in December 1966.
7. Therefore, the State of Israel has subjected Palestinians citizens and Palestinian non-citizens to military rule for all but six months of its 68-year existence.
8. One of the first acts of Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem was to demolish the Mughrabi Quarter, expelling 600 residents and destroying 135 homes.
9. In place of the 800-year old Mughrabi Quarter, Israel created the Western Wall Plaza.
10. The first West Bank settlement was established in September 1967, supported by the then Labor-led government.

Everything you needed to know about the Israeli occupation of the #WestBank and #Gaza – @benabyad https://t.co/MUBhoEpKqU

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) June 10, 2016

– Read more: 49 facts About Israel’s Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip – MEMO