The territory, which is to include an independent state “Palestine” in the West Jordan and the Gaza Strip in the future, has not yet been definitively defined, the question of the Palestinian capital is still unclear.
Area: 5997 km².
Population: 2,896,000 inhabitants
Population density: 447.7 per sq km.
National and official language: Arabic.
West Bank: Area: 5633 km² (incl. East Jerusalem)
Population: 1.663 million inhabitants (more 210,200 in East Jerusalem) plus 166,000 Israeli settlers (further 176,000 in East Jerusalem); In total, 83 per cent Palestinian Arabs, 17 per cent Jews. 9 percent of the population still live in camps.
Population density: 295.2 inhabitants / km²
Population growth: 3.14 per cent
fertility rate: 4.78 births / woman.
Religions: 75 percent Muslim, 17 percent Jews, minority of Christians.
Gaza Strip: Area: 364 sq km
Population: 1.022 million inhabitants plus some 6,000 Israeli settlers. 54 percent of the population still live in camps. 52 percent of the population are under 15 years
Population density: 2807.7 inhabitants / km²
Population growth: 4.44 per cent
fertility rate: 7.3 births / woman.
Religion: 99 per cent Muslims.
The most important cities:
Gaza City 353,600
(Including refugee camps)
Hebron 119,400
Nablus 100,200
POLITICAL SYSTEM
partial autonomy since 1994. drafting a constitution since 1996. Parliament ( “Palestinian Legislative Council”) with 88 every 4 years directly elected members. (“Autonomous authority”) with 30 members, including 9 parliamentarians and 4 members appointed by the President of the Autonomous Authority. Direct election of the President.
President: Yasser Arafat (since January 1996).
HEALTH, SOCIAL
proportion of health budgets in GDP: 4.9 per cent
Medical care: 0.5 doctors, 1.2 hospital b3ds / 1,000 inhabitants
Infant mortality: 24/1000 births
Life expectancy: Men 69 years, women 73 years
EDUCATION
School attendance of 6 ?? 15 years. In addition to 1074 state schools still 147 private schools, mostly with church carriers, and 253 UNRWA schools. In the Gaza Strip 2, in West Jordan 6 universities, among others in Bethlehem and Hebron.
The Ministry of Education is struggling with international aid for the school and education system neglected under Israeli occupation. However, the state schools still have many shortcomings, such as inadequate premises, poorly trained teachers, antiquated teaching methods. The level of the (mostly Christian or Islamic) private schools is often better, but they are expensive and therefore only 6% of the students are attended. A total of 60,846 Palestinians studied in the universities in 1998/99, 45% of whom were female students.
ECONOMIC
Israel has prevented the emergence of an industry, most companies are small to medium enterprises and small family craft shops that sell 80 percent of their products to Israel. The Israeli settlers have built some modern small businesses. Insufficient infrastructure. Electricity must be purchased predominantly from Israel; Some cities like Nablus and Jenin have small power stations and supply themselves. In the drinking water supply unchanged from Israel. In some cases, the access to their own drinking water sources is blocked, while the settlers and their farms use the scarce water sources of West Jordan. The Palestinians must be content with about a quarter of Israel’s per capita consumption. About 180 villages in West Jordan are not connected to the public drinking water supply. The inhabitants have to buy water at black market prices ?? Often from the Jewish settlers. The groundwater level drops continuously. Many wells are so severely salted that the water can only be used for land irrigation.
GDP: 4.2 billion US $
growth rate: 2.2 percent
GDP / capita: Gaza US $ 1000, the West Bank US $ 2000. Share of GDP: agriculture 7.3 percent, industry 25.9 percent, services 66.8 percent.
Unemployment: 14.4 percent
inflation rate: 5.5 per cent
of government revenue: 1.59 milli Raden US $
government expenditure: 1.74 billion US $
payments deficit: 755 Mllionen US $
Received donations: 598m US $
Agriculture: Floorspace Gaza Strip: 63 percent , West Jordan is 59 percent.
External sector:
trade deficit (1996): 1.67 billion US $.
Export (1996): US $ 450 million, of which 43.5 percent industrial intermediate, 15 percent food and livestock, 5.2 percent, beverages and tobacco, mainly by Israel (1997).
Import (1996): 2.12 billion US $, of which 26.7 percent industrial intermediate, 22.2 percent food and livestock, 15.2 percent fuels, mainly from Israel (1997).
TRAFFIC
No rail network .
In the West Bank road network of 4,500 km in length, of which secured 2700 km.
Engine: 59 vehicles / 1000 inhabitants
International Gaza Airport near the Egyptian border, completed in 1997, but was allowed to be opened in November 1998th In the predominantly autonomous Gaza Strip, the Israelis still demand airspace. The construction of a seaport in Gaza began several times in the summer of 2000. At the end of 2001 the port was to be completed.
COMMUNICATION
expression and press freedom, according to Press Law of 1995. Nevertheless, censorship in the self-rule areas. Repeated arrests of unsolicited journalists. Several daily newspapers had to stop their appearance. Founded in 1993, the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) is closely intertwined with the Autonomy Authority and is considered a “state transmitter”. In February, the ZDF concluded a cooperation agreement with the PBC, which provides both sides with access to the news and archive material of the partner. The official broadcasting station Saut Filastin (voice of Palestine) is based in Jericho. Since the start of self-administration more than 30 licenses have been awarded for private radio and television channels.
ENVIRONMENT, TOURISM
development of tourism since the beginning of self-government. Centers are Bethlehem and Jericho.
DEVELOPMENTS
once was the word “Palestinians” synonymous with statelessness. The Oslo peace process gave the belated nation at least a partial autonomy under which the Palestinians have been working since 1994 to build an independent community. The proclamation of an independent Palestinian Authority, which was scheduled for May 1999, had delayed President Arafat with due regard for the Israeli elections. But 2000, according to the PLO’s dictum, is “definitely the year of our state”. 53 years after UN decision to divide Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state, the Palestinians should now finally get their national home. They also celebrated the Pope’s visit to Bethlehem in March as a “de facto recognition” of their future state.
At the Peace Summit from the 11th – July in Camp David should be the young state with its limits. But the negotiations failed, even though Israel’s Prime Minister Barak even offered a partial understanding of Jerusalem. Arafat, on the other hand, insisted on the return of the entire eastern part of the city. America’s President Clinton then sought to prevent a unilateral proclamation of the State of Palestine on 13 September or afterwards without prior agreement with Israel.
Most Palestinians assess the chances of a good neighborhood with Israel rather pessimistic. They are embittered by Israeli settlements, by harassment at checkpoints and travel restrictions. The ongoing practice of the Israelis to roll down illegally built Palestinian houses with bulldozers also harbors hate. Within five years, more than 5,000 Palestinians have lost their homes. In bloody clashes with the Israeli police on the so-called Nakba Day in mid-May, in which the Palestinians commemorate the “catastrophe” of the Israeli state, the frustration turned into violence. France’s Premier Lionel Jospin had even been thrown with stones by his students during his visit because of a failed statement? Arafat’s minister, however.
For the inner constitution of their young communities also leaves the Palestinians with little room for beautiful illusions. Arafat is leading his Palestine in an absolutist style, mismanagement, favoritism and corruption. The economy is growing ?? Including Israeli blockades. However, sustainable private investment and increasing export figures are lacking in order to stabilize the positive trend in the long term. The international donor community, which has hitherto granted more than $ 4 billion of relief funds to the Autonomous Authority, has praised progress in economic and financial reforms. But the “authority of the law”, which Arafat promised, when he once proclaimed the state in Algerian exile in November 1988, is not much to be felt. Human rights are systematically violated. No wonder that Arafat’s popularity slipped to 37 percent in June. The question of whether the Palestinian state will become the first real democracy in the Arab world remains open.