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