Entry and residence regulations Palestine has no sovereign rights whatsoever with regard to the entry and residence of foreigners. The State of Israel is solely responsible for issuing visas. Germans and nationals of numerous other countries are usually issued with…
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With its 6,025 km² (5,660 km² West Bank, 365 km² Gaza Strip), Palestine is a little more than twice the size of Saarland, the smallest German federal state. It fits more than eleven times into the largest federal state, Bavaria….
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Official name: Palestinian territories Area: 6,025 km² (5,660 km² WB, 365 km² Gaza) Residents: 4.98 million (2.99 million WB, 1.99 million Gaza) Growth of population: 2.5% per year (2019) Seat of government: Ramallah Official language: Arabic Regional languages: – At…
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Proportion of literate adults: 97% (2019) Major religion (s): Islam (Sunni) approx. 98.5%, Christianity approx. 1.5 Urban population: 77% (2019) Life expectancy (female / male): 75/73 years (2019) Gender Inequality Index: No data available Number of births: 4.1 / woman…
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Culture Culturally, Palestine belongs to the Arab world, the countries of which are connected with each other through Standard Arabic as a common language and through shared values, traditions, customs, knowledge and experiences. There is a wealth of Palestinian folk…
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German government development cooperation in the Palestinian Territories focuses on three priority areas that have been agreed with the Palestinian side: Water supply, sewage and waste disposal Sustainable economic development, employment promotion and education Development of state and municipal institutions…
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Poverty and poverty reduction and the other global goals for sustainable development Goal 1 of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” adopted on September 25, 2015 at the UN Summit in New York, which combines the principle of sustainability with…
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During the years of the complete Israeli occupation, the Palestinian economy was purely a subcontractor for Israel; there was no independent economic development. Even after the creation of the Palestinian Authority, economic development remained dependent on Israel. Estimated GDP: US…
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The potential of the economy is still constrained by restrictions on the movement of people and goods. The World Bank report of June 2, 2020 to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) advocates developing a digital economy to bridge this…
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The Portland Trust, Germany Trade Invest (GTAI), Ghorfa – Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry eV, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) provide current basic data on Palestinian economic development . During the…
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The United States responded to this decision by stating that it will no longer contribute to the organization because it is legally prohibited from funding organizations that the Palestinians accept as members. A transfer planned for November in the amount…
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As chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Mahmoud Abbas is responsible for peace talks with Israel. Due to the division of the territories, however, he cannot speak for all parties or make commitments to which all parties in Palestine…
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Head of state: Mahmoud Abbas Head of government: Mohammad Shteyyeh Political system: Semi-autonomous territories, occupied by Israel since 1967 Democracy Status Index (BTI): No data available Corruption Index (CPI): No data available Human rights In Palestine, human rights organizations such…
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The Palestinian media landscape is quite diverse. The three most important Palestinian newspapers are Al-Quds (circulation 30-50,000), Al-Ayyam (circulation 20-25,000) and Al Hayat al Jadida (circulation 5,000), all of which are close to the Palestinian Authority. Hamas publishes Al-Resalah and…
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Hamas elections and new policy paper On May 6, 2017, Ismail Haniyye was elected as the new chairman of the Hamas Politburo. He replaced Khaled Mashaal, who had held the office since 1996. Ismail Haniyye won the election against Mussa…
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On April 23, 2014, Hamas and Fatah again agreed to form a unity government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled again with the declaration that President Mahmoud Abbas had to choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas and…
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On January 25, 2006 – the first elections were held in January 1996 – the elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council took place for the second time. Hamas was able to win 74 of the 132 seats. The previously ruling…
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The current situation in Palestine is to a large extent shaped by the Middle East conflict, ie the conflict between the Palestinian and Jewish people over the territory of the British Mandate Palestine, a conflict that began in the 1880’s…
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After the creation of the Palestinian Authority, Palestine was divided into 16 administrative districts, 11 are in the West Bank and 5 in the Gaza Strip. From December 2004 to December 2005, local elections were held in four rounds for…
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Palestine has been occupied by Israel since June 1967 and parts of the area have been under limited Palestinian self-government by the Palestinian Authority since May 1994(PA = Palestinian Authority). In the A areas (currently 17.2% of the West Bank),…
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From the UN partition resolution to the Oslo peace process On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly then decided to partition Palestine. The 1,364,000 Palestinians were granted 42.88% of the total area of the British Mandate, and the 608,000…
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The history of Palestine up to the UN partition resolution The historical region of Palestine – the name goes back to the Philistine people – is located on the south-eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and describes an area in…
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An investigation by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHAoPt carried out in January / February 2020 counted 108 fully or occasionally manned military checkpoints, most of them not as border posts between Israel and Palestine, and…
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The ARIJ report “Status of the Environment in the State of Palestine – 2015” provides a comprehensive overview of the environmental situation in the Palestinian territories. Deforestation Forests cover approximately 3.94% of the West Bank and 0.55% of the Gaza…
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Water is one of the most important and scarce resources in the Middle East. The development opportunities of the population and their standard of living depend on its availability. Therefore, the Middle East conflict is not just about land, but…
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When driving in Palestine, it is not enough to have a road map. Only a precise knowledge of the local conditions will bring you to your destination if you want to go somewhere other than Jerusalem to Ramallah or Bethlehem….
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