Published on March 17, 2010

Country Report

West Bank

Introduction

Background: 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 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. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza 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 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.

Geography

Location: Middle East, west of Jordan

Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 35 15 E

Area:
total: 5,860 sq km
land: 5,640 sq km
water: 220 sq km
note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries:
total: 404 km
border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

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:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m

Natural resources: arable land

Land use:
arable land: 16.9%
permanent crops: 18.97%
other: 64.13% (2001)

Irrigated land: 150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)

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.)

People

Population:
2,461,267
note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2009 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.3% (male 470,735/female 446,878)
15-64 years: 59.1% (male 744,822/female 708,695)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 37,471/female 52,666) (2009 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.5 years
male: 20.4 years
female: 20.8 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.178% (2009 est.)

Birth rate: 25.44 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Death rate: 3.66 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Urbanization:
urban population: 72% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.96 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 17.87 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.54 years
male: 72.54 years
female: 76.65 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.22 children born/woman (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality:
noun: NA
adjective: NA

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:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.4%
male: 96.7%
female: 88% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures: NA

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: West Bank

Economy

Economy - overview: The West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian Authority (PA) - experienced a limited revival of economic activity in 2009 as a result of inflows of donor assistance, the PA's implementation of economic reforms, improved security, and the easing of movement and access restrictions by the Israeli Government. Nevertheless, overall standard-of-living measures remain below those seen prior to the start of the second intifada in 2000. The almost decade-long downturn has been largely a result of Israeli closure policies - a steady increase in Israeli-imposed movement and access restrictions across the West Bank in response to security concerns in Israel - which disrupted labor flows, manufacturing, and commerce, both external and internal. Since 2008, the PA under President Mahmoud ABBAS and Prime Minister Salam FAYYAD have implemented a largely successful campaign of institutional reforms and economic development that has contributed to increased economic performance, supported by more than $3 billion in direct foreign donor assistance to the PA's budget since 2007. An easing of some Istraeli restrictions on West Bank movement and access in 2008 and 2009 also contributed to an uptick in retail and entertainment activity in larger cities. The biggest impediments to growth remain lack of access to land and resources in Israeli-controlled areas, import and export restrictions, and a high-cost capital structure. Absent private sector-driven growth, the PA will continue to rely on donor aid for its budgetary needs.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$12.79 billion (2009 est.); $11.95 billion (2008)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate): $6.641 billion (2008 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 7% (2009 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,900 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 14%
services: 81% (includes Gaza Strip) (2008 est.)

Labor force: 694,000 (2009)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 12%
industry: 23%
services: 65% (June 2008)

Unemployment rate: 19% (2009 est.)

Population below poverty line: 46% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $1.63 billion
expenditures: $3.08 billion
note: includes Gaza Strip (2009)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.9% (2009 est.)
note: data in include Gaza Strip

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 7.19% (31 December 2008)

Stock of money: $NA (31 December 2008)

Stock of quasi money: $5.251 billion (31 December 2008)

Stock of domestic credit: $1.367 billion (31 December 2008)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA (31 December 2008)

Agriculture - products: olives, citrus fruit, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Industries: small-scale manufacturing, quarrying, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs

Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)

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

Electricity - consumption: 3.265 billion kWh

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh

Electricity - imports: 2.8 billion kWh

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day

Oil - consumption: 26,500 bbl/day

Oil - exports: 511 bbl/day

Oil - imports: 22,150 bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves: NA bbl NA bbl

Natural gas - production: 0 cu m

Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m

Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m

Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m

Exports:
$529 million (2008)
note: includes Gaza Strip

Exports - commodities: stone, olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone

Imports: $3.772 billion (2008)

Imports - commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum, chemicals

Debt - external: $1.3 billion (2007 est.)

Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.93 (2009), 3.56 (2008), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005)

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 348,000 (includes Gaza Strip) (2008)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.153 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2008)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWWAL company and WATANIYA PALESTINE provide cellular services
international: country code - 970 (2009)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 25, shortwave 0 (2008)

Television broadcast stations: 30 (2008)

Internet country code: .ps; note - same as Gaza Strip

Internet users: 356,000 (includes Gaza Strip) (2008)

Transportation

Airports: 2 (2009)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)

Roadways:
total: 5,147 km
paved: 5,147 km
note: includes Gaza Strip (2006)

Military

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 545,653
females age 16-49: 515,102 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 30,233
female: 28,745 (2009 est.)

Military expenditures: NA

Transnational Issues

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 and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 722,000 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007)