The “green line” is the border that defines the area called the “West Bank”. This line became a border in 1948 when hostilities broke out after the state of Israel was declared with United Nations consensus and approval. The border is a direct result of cease-fire lines and not of any legal standing. The area called the West Bank was captured by Israel in the 1967 war and comprises all the land noted in these maps having a reddish tint, up to the Jordanian border.

A large part of the “green line” parallels the coast of Israel, leaving over 70% of the population confined in a narrow strip of as little as 9 miles(14km). The major population centers are only 9 to 14 miles(14-22km) from the green line.

To give you a visual perspective on what this means, we have maps that
compare Israel to many well-known cities across the globe.