The 1995 Oslo II agreement divided Judea and Samaria into Areas A, B, and C as an interim arrangement. It assigned the Ramallah-based PA responsibility for public order and internal security in Area A, while the agreement retained specified Israeli security responsibilities and set out coordination arrangements. The division was administrative and security-related; it did not settle permanent borders or sovereignty. January 2025 IDF report on weapons found in Jenin.
What the three areas mean
In Area A, the PA received civil powers and responsibility for public order and internal security for Arabs, subject to the agreement’s provisions. In Area B, the PA assumed civil responsibilities and public order for Arabs, while Israel retained overriding responsibility for security to protect Israelis and confront terrorism. Area C remained under Israeli territorial and security control during the interim period, with the agreement providing for phased transfers of specified civil powers.
The agreement’s text and annexes define detailed responsibilities; shorthand descriptions such as “full control” can obscure those qualifications. The Oslo II agreement describes the arrangements as part of a five-year interim period beginning in 1994.
Why Israel still conducts operations
The division did not require Israeli forces to ignore threats that cross jurisdictional lines or endanger Israeli civilians. Israeli operations are often directed at suspects, weapons, and explosive devices that security agencies say pose an immediate threat. The IDF reported that an August 2024 operation in the Jenin and Nur Shams areas found and destroyed roadside explosives and seized weapons in Tulkarm. Those are dated operational claims, not a complete account of conditions in every locality.
Security coordination and Israeli operations can occur alongside one another. Readers seeking the practical detail can continue to Israeli counterterrorism operations and security coordination, and the governance context is covered in the PA crisis.