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Muslim World Study:
Palestine
(called the Gaza Strip in
CIA World Book)
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Background:
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The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on
Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in
Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional
period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim
self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under
the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and
responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which
includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in
January 1996, as part of the interim self-governing
arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of
powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho
took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo
Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in
additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO
28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15
January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the
Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4
September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides
that Israel will retain responsibility during the
transitional period for external and internal security and
for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct
negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and
West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus,
but were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in
September 2000. The resulting widespread violence in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and
instability within the Palestinian Authority continued to
undermine progress toward a permanent agreement. Following
the death of longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT in
November 2004, the election of his successor Mahmud ABBAS in
January 2005 brought about a turning point in the conflict.
In February 2005 the Israeli Government voted to disengage
from the Gaza Strip by dismantling all Israeli settlements
and removing all Israeli settlers. This process was
completed in September 2005. Nonetheless, Israel maintains
offshore maritime control as well as airspace control. The
future political status of the Gaza Strip has yet to be
determined. |
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea,
between Egypt and Israel |
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Geographic coordinates:
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31 25 N, 34 20 E |
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Map references:
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Middle East |
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Area:
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total: 360 sq km
land: 360 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than twice the size of
Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 62 km
border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
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Coastline:
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40 km |
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Maritime claims:
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Israeli-occupied with current status subject
to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent
status to be determined through further negotiation
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Climate:
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temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot
summers |
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Terrain:
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flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered
coastal plain |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m
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Natural resources:
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arable land, natural gas |
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Land use:
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arable land: 28.95%
permanent crops: 21.05%
other: 50% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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120 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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desertification; salination of fresh water;
sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation;
depletion and contamination of underground water resources
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Geography - note:
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there are 25 Israeli settlements and civilian
land use sites in the Gaza Strip (February 2002 est.)
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Population:
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1,376,289
note: in addition, there are more than 5,000 Israeli
settlers in the Gaza Strip (July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 48.5%
(male 342,186/female 325,899)
15-64 years: 48.8% (male 342,927/female 329,354)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 15,036/female 20,887)
(2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 15.65 years
male: 15.5 years
female: 15.81 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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3.77% (2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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40.03 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Death rate:
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3.87 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 22.93
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 24.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population:
71.79 years
male: 70.5 years
female: 73.15 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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5.91 children born/woman (2005 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun: NA
adjective: NA |
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Ethnic groups:
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Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%
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Religions:
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Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian
0.7%, Jewish 0.6% |
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Languages:
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Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers
and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15
and over can read and write
total population: 91.9%
male: 96.3%
female: 87.4% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form:
none
conventional short form: Gaza Strip
local long form: none
local short form: Qita Ghazzah |
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Economy - overview:
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High population density, limited land access,
and strict internal and external controls have kept economic
conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas
under the Palestinian Authority - even more degraded than in
the West Bank. An anticipated Israeli withdrawal from the
Gaza Strip in 2005 may offer some medium-term opportunities
for economic growth. The beginning of the second intifadah
in September 2000 sparked an economic downturn, largely the
result of Israeli closure policies; these policies, which
were imposed in response to security interests in Israel,
disrupted labor and commodity relationships with the Gaza
Strip. In 2001, and even more severely in 2003, Israeli
military measures in Palestinian Authority areas resulted in
the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of
administrative structure, and widespread business closures.
Including the West Bank, the UN estimates that more than
100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in
Israel or in joint industrial zones have lost their jobs.
International aid of $2 billion to Gaza Strip and the West
Bank in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy
and allowed some reforms in the government's financial
operations. Meanwhile unemployment has continued at half the
labor force. ARAFAT's death in 2004 leaves open more
political options that could affect the economy.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$768 million (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.5% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $600 (2003 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 9%
industry: 28%
services: 63% (includes West Bank) (2002 est.)
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Labor force:
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725,000 (2004) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 14%, industry 19%, services 66%
(2004) |
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Unemployment rate:
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50% (includes West Bank) (2003 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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81% (2004 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by
percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.2% (includes West Bank) (2001 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $676.6
million
expenditures: $1.155 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA; note - these budget data include West
Bank (2003) |
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Agriculture - products:
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olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy
products |
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Industries:
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generally small family businesses that
produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and
mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established
some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA |
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Electricity - production:
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NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Israel
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Electricity - consumption:
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NA kWh |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Israel
(2001) |
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Exports:
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$205 million f.o.b., includes West Bank
(2002) |
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Exports - commodities:
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citrus, flowers |
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Exports - partners:
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Israel, Egypt, West Bank |
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Imports:
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$1.9 billion c.i.f., includes West Bank
(2002) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food, consumer goods, construction materials
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Imports - partners:
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Israel, Egypt, West Bank |
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Debt - external:
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$108 million (includes West Bank) (1997 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$2 billion (includes West Bank) (2004 est.)
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Currency (code):
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new Israeli shekel (ILS) |
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Currency code:
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ILS |
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Exchange rates:
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new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.482
(2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773
(2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Communications |
Gaza Strip |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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95,729 (total for Gaza Strip and West Bank)
(1997) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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320,000 (cellular subscribers in both Gaza
Strip and West Bank) (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment:
NA
domestic: rudimentary telephone services provided by
an open-wire system
international: NA |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Radios:
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NA; note - most Palestinian households have
radios (1999) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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2 (operated by the Palestinian Broadcasting
Corporation) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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NA; note - most Palestinian households have
televisions (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.ps |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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3 (1999) |
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Internet users:
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60,000 (includes West Bank) (2001)
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Transportation |
Gaza Strip |
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Highways:
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total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
note: small, poorly developed road network
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Ports and harbors:
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Gaza |
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Airports:
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2 (2001)
note: includes Gaza International Airport (GIA),
inaugurated on 24 November 1998 as part of agreements
stipulated in the September 1995 Oslo II Accord and the 23
October 1998 Wye River Memorandum; GIA has been largely
closed since October 2000 by Israeli orders and its runway
was destroyed by the Israeli Defense Forces in December 2001
(2004 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Heliports:
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1 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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in accordance with the peace agreement, the
Palestinian Authority is not permitted conventional military
forces; there are, however, public security forces (2002)
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Transnational Issues |
Gaza Strip |
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Disputes - international:
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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 announced its intention
to pull out settlers and withdraw from the Gaza Strip in
2005 |
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Refugees and internally displaced
persons:
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refugees (country of origin):
922,674 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2004) |
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