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 Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--2.35 (May 1991), 2.0161 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.6670 (January 1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499 (1986), 0.3940 (1985) 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 COMMUNICATIONS Highways: small indigenous road network, Israelis developing east-west axial highways Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded; stations--no AM, no FM, no TV DEFENSE FORCES Branches: NA Manpower availability: males 15-49, 257,740; NA fit for military service Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP