The Chutzpah Chronicles

← Glossary

Yesha

Hebrew

West Bank settlements, from Yehuda-Shomron-Aza

An acronym for Yehuda, Shomron, and Aza, Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, used as shorthand for the settlement movement and the territories it operates in. Gaza dropped out of the acronym's real-world scope after the 2005 disengagement, but the letter stayed. Who uses the word "Yesha" versus "the West Bank" versus "the occupied territories" tells you a lot about who's talking before they say another word.