Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/258.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 7.6 KB | 295 lines

@node Header (West Bank)
@section Header (West Bank)

@display

  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 Bush's post-Gulf crisis 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.



@end display

@node Geography (West Bank)
@section Geography (West Bank)

@display

Location:
  Middle East, between Jordan and Israel
Map references:
  Middle East
Area:
 total area:
  5,860 km2
 land area:
  5,640 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly larger than Delaware
 note:
  includes West Bank, East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No Man's Land,
  and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus
Land boundaries:
  total 404 km, Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International 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%
Irrigated land:
  NA km2
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



@end display

@node People (West Bank)
@section People (West Bank)

@display

Population:
  1,404,114 (July 1993 est.)
 note:
  in addition, there are 102,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 134,000
  in East Jerusalem (1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.9% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  33.78 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  5.32 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  35.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  69.93 years
 male:
  68.48 years
 female:
  71.46 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  4.37 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  NA
 adjective:
  NA
Ethnic divisions:
  Palestinian Arab and other 88%, Jewish 12%
Religions:
  Muslim 80% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 12%, Christian and other 8%
Languages:
  Arabic, Hebrew spoken by Israeli settlers, English widely understood
Literacy:
 total population:
  NA%
 male:
  NA%
 female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  NA
 by occupation:
  small industry, commerce, and business 29.8%, construction 24.2%,
  agriculture 22.4%, service and other 23.6% (1984)
 note:
  excluding Israeli Jewish settlers



@end display

@node Government (West Bank)
@section Government (West Bank)

@display

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.
Names:
 conventional long form:
  none
 conventional short form:
  West Bank
Digraph:
  WG



@end display

@node Economy (West Bank)
@section Economy (West Bank)

@display

Overview:
  Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military
  administration and the effects of the Palestinian uprising (intifadah).
  Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable investment have
  been discouraged by a lack of local capital and restrictive Israeli
  policies. Capital investment consists largely of residential housing, not
  productive assets that would enable local firms to compete with Israeli
  industry. A major share of GNP is derived from remittances of workers
  employed in Israel and Persian Gulf states, but such transfers from the Gulf
  dropped dramatically after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. In the wake
  of the Persian Gulf crisis, many Palestinians have returned to the West
  Bank, increasing unemployment, and export revenues have plunged because of
  the loss of markets in Jordan and the Gulf states. Israeli measures to
  curtail the intifadah also have pushed unemployment up and lowered living
  standards. The area's economic outlook remains bleak.
National product:   GNP - exchange rate conversion - $1.3 billion (1990 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  -10% (1990 est.)
National product per capita:
  $1,200 (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  11% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  15% (1990 est.)
Budget:
  revenues $31.0 million; expenditures $36.1 million, including capital
  expenditures of $NA (FY88)
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 1% (1989); accounts for about 4% of GNP
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:
  accounts for about 15% of GNP; olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables,
  beef, and dairy products
Economic aid:
  NA
Currency:
  1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot; 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000
  fils



@end display

@node Economy (West Bank 2. usage)
@section Economy (West Bank 2. usage)

@display

Exchange rates:
  new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.6480 (November 1992), 2.2791 (1991),
  2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987); Jordanian dinars
  (JD) per US$1 - 0.6890 (January 1993), 0.6797 (1992), 0.6808 (1991), 0.6636
  (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year (since 1 January 1992)



@end display

@node Communications (West Bank)
@section Communications (West Bank)

@display

Highways:
  small road network, Israelis developing east-west axial highways to service
  new settlements
Airports:
 total:
  2
 usable:
  2
 with permanent-surface runways:
  2
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded; broadcast stations - no
  AM, no FM, no TV



@end display

@node Defense Forces (West Bank)
@section Defense Forces (West Bank)

@display

Branches:
  NA
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 NA; fit for military service NA
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP



@end display