Palestinian residents of the West Bank consist of refugees as well as those who originate from West Bank towns and villages. Refugees from 1948-occupied Palestine came to live in large refugee camps situated inside or close to large towns, or in the towns themselves.

Under the Oslo agreements, the West Bank did not come under full Palestinian Authority control. Instead, it was divided into Areas A, B, and C. Area A was to be under full Palestinian control, Area B would be under Israeli security control but provided with services by the PA, and Area C would remain under full control of the Israelis. To say that the people of the West Bank became free Palestinian citizens under the PA during the Oslo years is simply incorrect. A large majority of the land under Oslo remained in full Israeli control, and, naturally, the borders that control imports and exports were completely in the hands of the Israelis.

The situation in the last few years has become considerably worse, even at times when Israel claims to have lifted the closures. A common mistake made by many people is that the West Bank is a free Palestinian zone and only the checkpoints prevent them from crossing to 1948 Israeli borders. As the case studies in this section show, this is far from the truth. Checkpoints prevent West Bankers from going between towns and villages to reach work, hospitals, friends, and family.