Note: defense is the responsibility of France

*West Bank, Header

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.

*West Bank, Geography

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

*West Bank, People

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

*West Bank, Government

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

*West Bank, Economy