has yet to be determined. In the view of the US, the term West Bank
describes all of the area west of the Jordan River under Jordanian
administration before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. However, with respect to
negotiations envisaged in the framework agreement, it is US policy that a
distinction must be made between Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank
because of the city's special status and circumstances. Therefore, a
negotiated solution for the final status of Jerusalem could be different in
character from that of the rest of the West Bank.

:West Bank Geography

Total area:
5,860 km2
Land area:
5,640 km2; includes West Bank, East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No
Man's Land, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt.
Scopus
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Delaware
Land boundaries:
404 km total; Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
none - landlocked
Disputes:
Israeli occupied with status to be determined
Climate:
temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot
summers, cool to mild winters
Terrain:
mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
Natural resources:
negligible
Land use:
arable land 27%, permanent crops 0%, meadows and pastures 32%, forest and
woodland 1%, other 40%
Environment:
highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers
Note:
landlocked; there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and 14
Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem

:West Bank People

Population:
1,362,464 (July 1992), growth rate 3.1% (1992); in addition, there are
95,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 132,000 in East Jerusalem (1992
est.)
Birth rate:
35 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
37 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
68 years male, 71 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.5 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
NA
Ethnic divisions:
Palestinian Arab and other 88%, Jewish 12%
Religions:
Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 80%, Jewish 12%, Christian and other 8%
Languages:
Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely understood
Literacy