178 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
178 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
WEST BANK
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Note: The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967 ended
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with Israel in control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Sinai,
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and the Golan Heights. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and
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reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative, the
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final status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, their relationship with
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their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be
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negotiated among the concerned parties. Camp David further specifies
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that these negotiations will resolve the respective boundaries. Pending
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the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of
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the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has yet to be determined. In the view
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of the US, the term West Bank describes all of the area west of the
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Jordan River under Jordanian administration before the 1967
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Arab-Israeli war. However, with respect to negotiations envisaged in the
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framework agreement, it is US policy that a distinction must be made
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between Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank because of the city's
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special status and circumstances. Therefore, a negotiated solution for
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the final status of Jerusalem could be different in character from that
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of the rest of the West Bank.
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 5,860 km2; land area: 5,640 km2; includes West Bank,
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East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No Man's Land, and the
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northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus
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Comparative area: slightly larger than Delaware
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Land boundaries: 404 km total; Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km;
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Coastline: none--landlocked
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Maritime claims: none--landlocked
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Disputes: Israeli occupied with status to be determined
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Climate: temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with
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altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
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Terrain: mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west,
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but barren in east
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Natural resources: negligible
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Land use: arable land 27%, permanent crops 0%, meadows and pastures
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32%, forest and woodland 1%, other 40%
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Environment: highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal
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aquifers
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Note: landlocked; there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank
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and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem
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PEOPLE
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Population: 1,086,081 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991);
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in addition, there are 90,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and
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120,000 in East Jerusalem (1990 est.)
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Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 47 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 69 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 4.9 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: NA
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Ethnic divisions: Palestinian Arab and other 88%, Jewish 12%
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Religion: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 80%, Jewish 12%, Christian
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and other 8%
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Language: Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely
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understood
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Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
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Labor force: NA; excluding Israeli Jewish settlers--small industry,
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commerce, and business 29.8%, construction 24.2%, agriculture 22.4%,
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service and other 23.6% (1984)
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Organized labor: NA
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: none
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Note: The West Bank is currently governed by Israeli military
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authorities and Israeli civil administration. It is US policy that the
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final status of the West Bank will be determined by negotiations among
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the concerned parties. These negotiations will determine how the area
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is to be governed.
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by
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Israeli military occupation and the effects of the Palestinian uprising.
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Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable financial
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resources have been discouraged by a lack of financial resources and
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Israeli policy. Capital investment has largely gone into residential
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housing, not into productive assets that could compete with Israeli
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industry. A major share of GNP is derived from remittances of workers
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employed in Israel and neighboring Gulf states but remittances from the
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Gulf dropped dramatically in the wake of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in
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August 1990. Israeli reprisals against Palestinian unrest in the West
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Bank since 1987 have pushed unemployment up and lowered living standards.
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The Persian Gulf crisis of 1990-91 also dealt a blow to the economy.
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Many Palestinians returned from the Gulf, exacerbating unemployment.
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Export revenues have plunged because of the loss of export markets in
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Jordan and the Gulf.
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GNP: $1.0 billion, per capita $1,000; real growth rate - 15% (1988
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est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
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Unemployment rate: 40% (1990 est.)
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Budget: revenues $47.4 million; expenditures $45.7 million,
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including capital expenditures of NA (FY86)
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Exports: $150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--NA;
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partners--Jordan, Israel
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Imports: $410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--NA;
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partners--Jordan, Israel
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External debt: $NA
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Industrial production: growth rate NA%
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Electricity: power supplied by Israel
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Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement,
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textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the
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Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in the
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settlements and industrial centers
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Agriculture: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef,
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and dairy products
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Economic aid: none
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Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels) and Jordanian dinar
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(plural--dinars); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot and
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1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
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Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--2.35 (May
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1991), 2.0161 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878
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(1986), 1.1788 (1985); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.6670 (January
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1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499
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(1986), 0.3940 (1985)
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Fiscal year: previously 1 April-31 March; FY91 will be
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1 April-31 December and starting 1 January 1992 the fiscal year will
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conform to the calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: small indigenous road network, Israelis developing
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east-west axial highways
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Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: open-wire telephone system currently being
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upgraded; stations--no AM, no FM, no TV
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: NA
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 257,740; NA fit for military
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service
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Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
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