Forty Years

of Israeli Administration of the Disputed Territories

 

Israel is routinely accused of oppressing the Palestinian people. In the words of Hanan Ashrawi, the Palestinian people have been subject to “varied, diverse and comprehensive means of wholesale brutalization and persecution.”  

 

Forty years have elapsed since Israel gained control of the disputed territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, held by Jordan since the 1949 armistice agreement. 

 

Those who wish to comprehensively describe the impact of Israel’s administration of the territories may find the following information, taken from UN and other reputable sources, helpful.  Without diminishing the real hardships faced by the Palestinian people resulting from Israel’s anti-terror policies and internal conflict, fairness demands recognition of the tangibly positive impact of Israel’s administration as well.

 

 

 

Infant Mortality and Life Expectancy in Palestinian Society, 1967-68 vs. 2000

 

 

1967-68

2000

Infant Mortality per 1000 Live Births

60

15

Life

Expectancy, Years

42

72

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Utility Supply, Percentage of Palestinian Population, 1967 vs. 1986

 

 

1967

1986

Electricity

20.5%

92.5%

Running Water

16.0%

85.0%

 

 

 

Gross National Product of Palestinian Society, 1968 vs. 1999

 

 

Year

1968

(West Bank)

1999 (All PA Territory)

GNP Per Capita

$165

$1,800

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comparative Characteristics and Demographics:

Israel, Palestinian Territory and Jordan (2006)

 

 

Israel

Palestinian Territory

Jordan

Area

20,770 sq km

5,860 sq km

92,300 sq km

Population

6.4 million

3.8 million*

5.9 million

Median Age

29.6

18.3

23

Population Growth Rate

1.18%

3.06%

2.49%

Adult Literacy

97.1

92.4

89.9

GDP - Real Growth Rate

4.5%

4.9%

6%

Inflation Rate (Consumer prices)

-0.1%

2.4%*

6.3%

Telephones (Main lines in use, percentage of population)

45.9%

9.2% *

10.6%

Universities and Colleges

38

12**

20

Hospitals

45

22

31

* Includes Gaza Strip

** Most established post-1967

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some indicators of quality of life can be measured, as the above statistics indicate; others are more intangible.  In terms of health measures, educational possibilities, economic opportunity, religious freedom, women’s rights, freedom of the press and more, the Israeli administration of the territories between 1967 and 1993 contributed to the welfare of Palestinian society.   Many leading Palestinians, including Bassem Eid, Walid Salem, Sari Nusseibeh and others, have acknowledged this, even while strongly affirming their desire for real independence from Israel.