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CIA Factbook: West Bank
The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel still controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. Violent clashes between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007 resulted in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. In February 2007, ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, and in June 2007, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal, and despite multiple rounds of Egyptian-brokered reconciliation negotiations, the two groups have failed to bridge their differences. The status quo remains with HAMAS in control of the Gaza Strip and ABBAS and the Fatah-dominated PA governing the West Bank. FAYYAD and his PA government continue to implement a series of security and economic reforms to improve conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS has said he will not resume negotiations with current Prime Minister NETANYAHU until Israel halts all settlement activity in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Location: Middle East, west of Jordan Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 35 15 E Map references: Middle East Area: Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware Land boundaries: Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) 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 Elevation extremes: Natural resources: arable land Land use: arable land: 16.9%
permanent crops: 18.97%
other: 64.13% (2001)
Irrigated land: NA sq km Natural hazards: droughts Environment - current issues: adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment Geography - note: landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are about 340 Israeli civilian sites - including 100 small outpost communities in the West Bank and 29 sites in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.) Population: 2,568,555 (July 2010 est.) Age structure: Median age: Population growth rate: 2.097% (2011 est.)
Birth rate: 24.56 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) Death rate: 3.58 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) Urbanization: Sex ratio: Infant mortality rate: Life expectancy at birth: Total fertility rate: 3.05 children born/woman (2011 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: Nationality: Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17% Religions: Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) Literacy: Country name: Economy - overview: The West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian territories - experienced a high single-digit economic growth rate in 2010 as a result of inflows of donor aid, the Palestinian Authority's (PA) implementation of economic and security reforms, and the easing of some movement and access restrictions by the Israeli Government. Nevertheless, overall standard-of-living measures remain near levels seen prior to the start of the second intifada in 2000. The almost decade-long downturn largely has been a result of Israeli closure policies - a steady increase in movement and access restrictions across the West Bank in response to Israeli security concerns which have disrupted labor and trade flows, industrial capacity, and basic commerce, both external and internal. Since 2008, the PA under President Mahmoud ABBAS and Prime Minister Salam FAYYAD has implemented a largely successful campaign of institutional reforms that has contributed to increased security and economic performance, supported by more than $3 billion in direct foreign donor assistance to the PA's budget since 2007. An easing of some Israeli restrictions on West Bank movement and access since 2008 also has contributed to an uptick in retail activity in larger cities. The biggest impediments to economic improvements in the West Bank remain Palestinians' lack of access to land and resources in Israeli-controlled areas, import and export restrictions, and a high-cost capital structure. Absent robust private sector growth, the PA will continue to rely heavily on donor aid for its budgetary needs. GDP (purchasing power parity - PPP): $12.79 billion (2009 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $6.641 billion (2008 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7% (2009 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,900 (2008 est.) GDP - composition by sector: Population below poverty line: 46% (2007 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage
share: Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2010 est.) Labor force: 694,000 (2009) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 12%, industry 23%, services 65% (June 2008) Unemployment rate: 16.5% (2010 est.) Budget: Industries: small-scale manufacturing, quarrying, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs Industrial production growth rate: NA Electricity - production: 500 million kWh; note - most imported electricity is from Israel; Jerusalem District Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in east Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities (2007 est.) Electricity - production by source: Electricity - consumption: 3.265 billion kWh (2007 est.) Electricity - imports: 2.8 billion kWh (2007 est.) Agriculture - products: olives, citrus fruit, vegetables; beef, dairy products Exports: $529 million (2008) Exports - commodities: stone, olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone Exports - partners: Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip Imports: $3.772 billion (2008) Imports - commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum, chemicals Imports - partners: Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip Debt - external: $1.04 billion (2010 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $2 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (2001-02 est.) Currency: new Israeli shekel (ILS); Jordanian dinar (JOD) Currency code: ILS; JOD Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.739 (2010), 3.932 (2009), 3.56 (2008), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004) Telephones - main lines in use: 360,400 (includes Gaza Strip) (2010) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.405 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2010) Telephone system: Broadcast media: the Palestinian Authority operates 1 television and 1 radio station; about 30 independent TV and 25 radio stations operating; Jordanian TV is available; satellite TV is accessible (2008) Internet country code: .ps (same as Gaza Strip) Internet users: 1.379 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2009) Roadways: Airports: 2 (2010) Airports - with paved runways: Military expenditures: NA Disputes - international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region Refugees (country of origin): 722,000 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007) Source: CIA World Fact Book 2011 |
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![[Country map of West Bank]](/jsource/images/maps/wbmap.jpg)
