Lexicon

A map of public record, typically generated and maintained by the government, that provides detailed information about real property (i.e., land, attachments to the land, and what lies beneath the land); provides a public record of the property boundaries, subdivision lines, buildings, and related information; used to place a value on land and allocate tax payments. Part of a “cadastre” which is a public record or map of land ownership to determine ownership rights and taxes.

Established a framework for the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that was signed in March 1979. It recognized the “legitimate rights of the Palestinian people” and ensured “full autonomy” within five years—a vague promise that went unfulfilled. Brokered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter over the course of 13 days in September 1978 at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, the accords are considered a turning point in Middle East diplomacy. In this first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab state, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin formalized diplomatic relations between the two states, and Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, which it had occupied in 1967. As a result of the accords, Egypt was isolated by the Arab world for some time, and President Sadat was assassinated in October 1981. 

See Bab al-Silsila.

The electoral slate of the Hamas movement, which ran in the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council elections and won the majority of seats. See also Hamas.

Israeli military station or geographical point that is used to control the movement of Palestinian pedestrians, vehicles, and goods, particularly in the occupied Palestinian Territories (oPT) (including East Jerusalem). These can take a variety of forms: staffed checkpoints (large terminals such as Qalandiya and Checkpoint 300 that control movement into Israel and smaller checkpoints such as Beit Hadassah in Hebron, which controls Palestinian movement within the Palestinian city); intermittently staffed checkpoints; road gates; linear closures such as earth walls and trenches; earth mounds; and roadblocks. Some of these may be erected as “pop-up” or “flying checkpoints,” increasing the unpredictability of movement through the area. According to the United Nations, as of February 29, 2025, there were 849 movement obstacles and 288 road gates in the 12 Palestinian governorates of the West Bank. Of those, 76 were in Jerusalem, and they were of eight types. All checkpoints severely restrict Palestinian movement, often generating hours-long traffic jams or increasing commuting times. They are also flashpoints for violence, as heavily armed Israeli soldiers or private contractors enforce the military occupation using tear gas, rubber-coated bullets, and live ammunition, and, likewise, become targets for Palestinian demonstrations and attacks. Checkpoints are also stratified by type of ID holder, with different rules applying to different groups as to whether they can pass by car or only on foot; whether they can pass at all; and if so, in one direction or both. Israeli civilians and their free travel are prioritized in the creation of checkpoints, making the checkpoint regime a key component of apartheid in this context (see Checkpoints, Part 1: Severing Jerusalem).

The only Israeli checkpoint granting access to the areas Israel claims sovereignty over for Palestinians holding Palestinian Authority (PA) ID cards and coming from the southern West Bank. It is comprised of a large metal gate controlling vehicular traffic through the Separation Wall and a series of narrow metal tunnels and turnstiles where Palestinians must scan their bags, present a valid permit to enter, and submit biometric evidence of their identity. The checkpoint—also called the Bethlehem checkpoint by Palestinians—is often very crowded, a source of delays and humiliation, especially for Palestinian workers trying to commute in the earliest hours of the morning. 

An Israeli archaeological initiative managed by the settler organization Elad, the acronym used for the Ir David (Hebrew for City of David) Foundation and the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority. The biblical tourism initiative is meant to promote Jewish heritage in Jerusalem’s Holy Basin through a series of dubious archaeological excavations that purportedly unearth the remains of King David’s first Israelite capital—hence supporting Jewish claims to ownership of the land. 

The City of David tour, part of Israel’s heritage tourism industry, features underground tunnels, a biblical theme park, light shows, a suspension bridge, and a planned cable car to transport tourists through the city’s supposed Jewish sites. Building these tourist projects has entailed confiscating Palestinian land, demolishing Palestinian properties, and displacing Palestinians, especially in the area of Wadi Hilweh in Silwan. For years, Israeli and international archaeologists, historians, and civil society organizations have been dispelling these archaeological findings as falsified and unprovable, and working to protect the rights of Palestinian residents of Silwan, albeit often to no avail. 

The Israeli military unit responsible for implementing Israel’s civilian policy in the occupied West Bank. Formed in 1981 as a division within the COGAT, the unit formerly administered all civilian affairs in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. After the Interim Accord was signed as part of the Oslo Accords, some of the administrative responsibilities of the Civil Administration were transferred to the newly formed Palestinian Authority (for Areas A and B), but the Civil Administration remained in full charge of Area C, which is 60 percent of the West Bank. The Civil Administration is responsible for many administrative issues affecting the settlers and settlements. According to Yesh Din, “Its vast powers touch upon most areas of life . . . : travel and work permits; infrastructure—water, electricity, transportation and communication; agriculture; trade and industry; environmental protection; archaeology and nature reserves.” The Civil Administration has eight divisions and is staffed by hundreds of soldiers and civilians and runs eight District Coordination and Liaison Offices (DCOs or DCLs).

Military unit established by Israel in 1967 to administer the security and civilian matters in the occupied West Bank and Gaza that is accountable to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. In 1981, an additional division was established within the COGAT called the Civil Administration. The COGAT wields absolute control over most aspects of Palestinian lives in the territories. For example, it administers and controls the entire permit regime whereby Palestinians have to apply for permits to move from place to place, both within the West Bank and to leave it and enter Israel.

Settlement belt in and around the Old City of Jerusalem’s Palestinian neighborhoods, including Silwan, al-Tur, Sheik Jarrah, and Wadi al-Joz. It comprises individual settlements, settlement compounds, and touristic settlements built on or within confiscated Palestinian properties and homes. While relatively small, these settlement compounds form a contiguous ring of settler-controlled areas constructing an interconnected Jewish “bubble” centered in the Jewish Quarter and made possible by a network of pathways through the original Palestinian communities.

The Israeli state body that manages land and property determined under the Israeli Absentees’ Property Law—1950 to belong to those—generally Palestinians—declared “absentees”. While this office is supposed to hold such properties for guardianship, until a political solution for the Palestinian refugees is reached, in actuality, it frequently transfers these properties to Jews. See How Israel Applies the Absentees’ Property Law to Confiscate Palestinian Property in Jerusalem.