The “green line” is the border that defines the area called the “West Bank”. In May 1948 Israel declared independence in accordance with the UN 1947 partition plan. Israel was immediately attacked by all surrounding Arab countries. When hostilities ceased in 1949, the green line was the cease fire line. 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.