Located northwest of the northern end of the Dead Sea. Ancient Jericho is considered by some to be the oldest city in the world—dating back to 7000 BC. It is mentioned in the Bible and was conquered by the Israelites led by Joshua when they entered the land of Canaan. The city has been built and rebuilt throughout the centuries. Control over Jericho was transferred to the Palestine Liberation Organization under the terms of the May 1994 Cairo Agreement. Control was again transferred to the Palestinians in the context of a cease-fire understanding agreed to by Ariel Sharon and Mah-moud Abbas in February 2005.
See also Arab-Israeli Conflict.
Historical Dictionary of Israel. Bernard Reich David H. Goldberg. Edited by Jon Woronoff..