174 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
174 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
GAZA STRIP
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Note: The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967
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ended with Israel in control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the
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Sinai, and the Golan Heights. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords
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and reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative,
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the final status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, their relationship
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with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to
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be negotiated among the concerned parties. Camp David further specifies
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that these negotiations will resolve the respective boundaries. Pending
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the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of
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the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has yet to be determined. In the view of
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the US, the term West Bank describes all of the area west of the Jordan
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under Jordanian administration before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. With
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respect to negotiations envisaged in the framework agreement, however, it
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is US policy that a distinction must be made between Jerusalem and the
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rest of the West Bank because of the city's special status and
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circumstances. Therefore, a negotiated solution for the final status of
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Jerusalem could be different in character from that of the rest of the
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West Bank.
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 380km2; land area: 380 km2
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Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Washington,
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DC
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Land boundaries: 62 km total; Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
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Coastline: 40 km
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Maritime claims: Israeli occupied with status to be determined
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Disputes: Israeli occupied with status to be determined
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Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
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Terrain: flat to rolling, sand and dune covered coastal plain
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Natural resources: negligible
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Land use: arable land 13%, permanent crops 32%, meadows and
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pastures 0%, forest and woodland 0%, other 55%
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Environment: desertification
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Note: there are 18 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip
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PEOPLE
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Population: 642,253 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991);
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in addition, there are 2,500 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip (1990
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est.)
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Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 41 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 67 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 6.9 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: NA
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Ethnic divisions: Palestinian Arab and other 99.8%, Jewish 0.2%
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Religion: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99%, Christian 0.7%,
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Jewish 0.3%
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Language: Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely
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understood
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Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
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Labor force: (excluding Israeli Jewish settlers) small
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industry, commerce and business 32.0%, construction 24.4%, service
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and other 25.5%, and agriculture 18.1% (1984)
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Organized labor: NA
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: none
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Note: The Gaza Strip is currently governed by Israeli military
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authorities and Israeli civil administration. It is US policy that the
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final status of the Gaza Strip will be determined by negotiations among
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the concerned parties. These negotiations will determine how this area is
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to be governed.
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Nearly half the labor force of the Gaza Strip is
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employed across the border by Israeli industrial, construction, and
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agricultural enterprises, with worker transfer funds accounting for 46%
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of GNP in 1990. The once dominant agricultural sector now contributes
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only 13% to GNP, about the same as that of the construction sector, and
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industry accounts for 7%. Gaza depends upon Israel for 90% of its
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imports and as a market for 80% of its exports. Unrest in the territory
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in 1988-91 (intifadah) has raised unemployment and substantially
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lowered the incomes of the population. Furthermore, the Persian Gulf
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crisis dealt a severe blow to the Gaza Strip in 1990 and on into 1991.
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Worker remittances from the Gulf states have plunged, unemployment has
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increased, and export revenues have fallen dramatically. The risk of
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malnutrition is a real possibility in 1991.
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GNP: $270 million, per capita $430; real growth rate - 25%
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(1990 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
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Unemployment rate: NA%
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Budget: revenues $36.6 million; expenditures $32.0 million,
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including capital expenditures of NA (1986)
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Exports: $88 million;
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commodities--citrus;
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partners--Israel, Egypt (1989 est.)
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Imports: $260 million;
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commodities--food, consumer goods, construction materials;
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partners--Israel, Egypt (1989 est.)
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External debt: $NA
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Industrial production: growth rate NA%
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Electricity: power supplied by Israel
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Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement,
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textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the
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Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an
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industrial center
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Agriculture: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef,
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dairy products
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Economic aid: none
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Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels);
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1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
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Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--2.0120 (January
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1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878
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(1986), 1.1788
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(1985)
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Fiscal year: 1 April-March 31
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: one line, abandoned and in disrepair, but trackage
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remains
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Highways: small, poorly developed indigenous road network
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Ports: facilities for small boats to service Gaza
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Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway less than 1,220 m
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Telecommunications: stations--no AM, no FM, no TV
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: NA
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 136,311; NA fit for military
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service
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Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
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