Palestine - Israel F A C T S H E E T AFSC ▪ Middle East ▪ Peacebuilding Unit ▪ June 2003

Occupied Israel

Territories Area: (The Gaza Strip, West 20,770 sq km Bank, East Jerusalem) Population: Area: 6,592,000(thi s number West Bank: includes the settl er 2,263 sq mi; populati on living i n the Gaza Strip: 139 sq mi West Bank and Gaza)

Population: Ethnic groups: West Bank (incl. East Jewi sh 77.2%, Jersusalem); 1, 873, Palesti nians (including 476; (additionally, there are Muslims, 380,000 illegal Israeli set Christi ans and Druze) tlers in the West Bank) 22.8% Gaza Strip: 1,229,000; (additionally, there are Religions: 6,500 illegal Israeli settlers Jewi sh 80.2%, in the Gaza Strip) Muslim 14.6%, Christi ans 2.1%, Official language: other 3.2% Arabic Did you know that: • There are 145 “offici al” and 50 “unoffici al” illegally built Official Languages: Ethnic groups: settlements* in the occupied territories of the West Hebrew, Arabic (used by West Bank, incl uding Bank inc l uding East Jerusal em and Gaza Strip (Peace Arab minority ) East Jerusalem: Now) Palestinian Arab and • There are 200,000 settlers in the West Bank, 6,500 Economy: other 83%; Jewi sh 17%, settlersi n Gaza Strip (Peace Now) , 173,000 i n East industry: high- Gaza Strip: Palestinian Jerusalem technology products, Arab and other 99.4%, diamonds, wood and • There are 4.5 million Palesti nian refugees in the Jewi sh (settlers) 0.6% paper products, food, World, of which 3.7 million are registered wi th the beverages, tobacco, Uni ted Nations Reli ef and Works Agency (UNRWA). cement, etc. Religions: Some 1.3 million refugees li ve in 59 refugee camps in West Bank: Muslim the West Bank, Gaza and neighboring countries. Agriculture: citrus, 75%, Jewi sh 17%, (UNRWA ) vegetables, cotton, beef, Christian and other 8%, • UN Partition plan from 1947 allocated to the Arab state poultry and dairy prod Gaza Strip: 42.88% and 56.74% to Israel of the total territory. To ucts Muslim 98.7%, day Israel properis on 78% of historic Palestine. Christian 0.7% (Gush Shalom) GDP per capita: Jewi sh (settlers) 0.6% $19,000 (2002estimate) • The US provides Israel wi th $3.0 billion in aid annually; with $1.8 billion in military aid combined with the eco Economy: Economic Aid from Family businesses: nomic aid of $1.2 billion, aid to Israel (whose popula tion is 0.1% of the world’s population) const i tutes 30% the US: olive oil, soap, textiles, $1.2 billion olive-wood carvings etc.; of the total US foreign ai d budget ( Washington Report on Middle East Affairs) agriculture: olives, ci trus, (sources: PASSIA, The vegetabl es, beef, dai ry • The poverty rate of the Palestinian populationi s 50.8% World Fact Book, Global products, frui ts. (Sept. 2002 est.) with 55% unemployment rate Exchange, USAID) (esti mate made after September 2000) GDP per capita: West Bank and the Gaza • To thi s day Israel has not declared i ts borders; fifty-five Strip $300 (2001 est.) years after i ts establishment, Israel st i ll has no formal wri tten constitution Economic Aid from US: $121 million Chronology of Events

UN General Assembly 1917 Balfour declaration* 1974 signed in Washington Jenin Refugee Camp, home (passes Resolution 3326) and to 14,000 Palestinian civil 1918 Disintegration of the Arab League recognize PLO 1998 Israel and PNA sign ians, rendering 4,000 civil Ottoman Empire; the area as sole legitimate representa Wye River Memorandum ians homeless becomes known as British- tive of the Palestinian people. 2000 Camp David II Sum mandate Palestine Israel begins construction of 1979 Camp David peace mit begins; Second intifada its separation wall to en 1936 Arab Revolt against treaty between Egypt and begins close the West Bank British Mandate Israel 2001 Ariel Sharon is 2003 Ariel Sharon is re 1947 UN proposes parti 1980 Israeli Knesset* adopts elected Prime Minister of elected Prime Minister of tion plan; establishment of the Jerusalem Law which Israel Israel UN Special Committee on extends Israeli law to East Israeli army invades US-led Roadmap to Peace Jerusalem. 2002 Palestine is introduced Establishment of the state 1982 Israeli army invades of Israel; Lebanon under the command Al-Nakba*—750,000 Pales of Ariel Sharon. 2000 Pales Glossary tinians flee or are driven out tinian refugees in Sabra and of their homes, 500 Shatila refugee camps were Settlements- illegally* built up areas i n the occupi ed terr i- massacred. tori es of the West Bank and Gaza Strip ( *accord i ng to in Palestinian villages are de ternational law). stroyed; UN passes 1987 The Palestinian upris resolution 194 ing intifada* begins in Gaza Intifada– literal meaning i n Arabic i s “shak i ng off” , Pales and spreads to the West tinian mass uprisi ng against Israeli occupation; December, 1956 Suez war; Israel in Bank. 1987 fi rst int i fada started; October 2000 second or Al-Aqsa vades Gaza Strip and int i fada began. Egypt’s | Sinai Peninsula, 1988 The Palestinian Na while Suez Canal is taken tional Council proclaims an PLO– Palesti nian Liberati on Organizati on was founded in by France and Great Britain independent Palestinian state 1964 as an umbrella organization for Palestinian resi s in the West Bank, tance; after sign i ng of the Osl o agreement the Pal estin i an 1964 Palestine Liberation including East Jerusalem, and National Authority was established as the Palestinian gov Organization* (PLO) Gaza; 55 countries recognize erning body in the occupi ed territories founded Six Day war; Israel the Palestinian state Knesset– Israeli Parliament; consists of 120 seats; mem military occupies the West bers are elected by popular vote to serve a four-year term; 1991 Madrid peace confer Bank, Including East Jeru Yesha Council – extra-parliamentary movement, represen ence salem, and Gaza Strip; The tati ve for 144 Israeli i llegal settlements in the West Bank second wave of refugees – Declaration of Princi and the Gaza Strip. 200, 000 Palestinians flee to 1993 surrounding countries; UN ples (DOP)*; Israeli Knesset Al-Nakba- the catastrophe i n Arabic the displacement of Security Council adopts approves DOP; 750,000 Palestinians in 1948 and the beginni ng of the Palestinian Refugee problem Resolution 242 1994 PLO establishes Pales 1973 October/Yom Kippur tinian Authority (PA) with Declaration of principles (DOP)- Decl aration of Princi- war; Syria and Egypt launch Yasser Arafat as its head; ples on Interim Sel f-Government Arrangements was a coordinated attack on Cairo Agreement, Yasser signed by the representatives of the Government of the Israeli forces occupying Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin sign State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, Golan Heights and Sinai the Gaza-Jericho Self-Rule Yitzhak Rabi n and Yasser Arafat, i n Washington, D.C., on desert; UN Security Council Accord; 13 September 1993; thi s agreement establi shed limited Palestinian self-rule. adopts Resolution 338. 1995 Oslo II, agreement Balfour Declaration- The Briti sh Foreign Secretary, Ar thur James Bal four, wrote to Jewish l eader Lord Roths child, to assure hi m that h i s government supported the Resources ideal of providing a homeland for the Jews. The Briti sh Peace Now: www.peacenow.org.il/English.asp hoped thereby to wi n more Jewi sh support for the Allies in Gush Shalom: www.gush-shalom.org/english/ the First World War. The "Bal four Declaration" became the UNRWA: www.un.org/unrwa/ basi s for international support for the founding of the mod Human Rights Watch: www.hrw.org ern state of Israel. PASSIA: www.passia.org/

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