page_title: Jordan Valley
section_title: Oslo accords
hierarchical_section_title: Jordan Valley / History, geopolitics, and events / Oslo accords
caption_attribution_description: English: Restricted space in the West Bank, Area C. Originally published by OCHAoPt in December 2011. UN name and logo removed.
context_page_description: The Jordan Valley forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. Unlike most other river valleys, the term "Jordan Valley" often applies just to the lower course of the Jordan River, from the spot where it exits the Sea of Galilee in the north, to the end of its course where it flows into the Dead Sea in the south. In a wider sense, the term may also cover the Dead Sea basin and the Arabah valley, which is the rift valley segment beyond the Dead Sea and ending at Aqaba/Eilat, 155 km farther south.
  The valley, in the common, narrow sense, is a long and narrow trough, 105 km long if measured "as the crow flies", with a width averaging 10 km with some points narrowing to 4 km over most of the course, before widening out to a 20 km delta when reaching the Dead Sea. Due to meandering, the length of the river itself is 220 km. This is the valley with the lowest elevation in the world, beginning at −212 m below sea level and terminating at less than −400 m BSL. On both sides, to the east and west, the valley is bordered by high, steep escarpments rising from the valley floor by between 1,200 m to 1,700 m.
context_section_description: Jericho, and the surrounding area in the southern valley, along with Gaza was the first territory handed over to the Palestinian National Authority, as a result of the Gaza–Jericho Agreement in 1994. Jericho, which is disconnected from the rest of the West Bank, and is far from the Israeli hinterland, was viewed as a suitable location for nascent Palestinian self-rule.
  Subsequent agreements, in the Oslo Accords, handed over additional West Bank territories, however Israel has retained control as area C administered by Israel, with the exception of an area A enclave surrounding Jericho and very small area B zones around some small Palestinian settlements.
  In 1998, a $150 million casino-hotel was built in Jericho with the backing of Yasser Arafat. The casino closed subsequently during the Second Intifada.
caption: Area C in blue, note solid blue area-C strip along most of the Jordan river
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