West Bank has been hampered by Israeli
military occupation and the effects of the Palestinian uprising. Industries
using advanced technology or requiring sizable financial resources have been
discouraged by a lack of financial resources and Israeli policy. Capital
investment has largely gone into residential housing, not into productive assets
that could compete with Israeli industry. A major share of GNP is derived from
remittances of workers employed in Israel and neighboring Gulf states. Israeli
reprisals against Palestinian unrest in the West Bank since 1987 have pushed
unemployment up and lowered living standards.

GNP: $1.0 billion, per capita $1,000; real growth rate - 15% (1988
est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues $47.4 million; expenditures $45.7 million,
including capital expenditures of NA (FY86)

Exports: $150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--NA;
partners--Jordan, Israel

Imports: $410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--NA;
partners--Jordan, Israel

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: growth rate NA%

Electricity: power supplied by Israel

Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement,
textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis
have established some small-scale modern industries in the settlements and
industrial centers

Agriculture: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef,
and dairy products

Aid: none

Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels) and Jordanian dinar
(plural--dinars); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot and 1 Jordanian
dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils

Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--1.9450 (January
1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5992 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788
(1985); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.6557 (January 1990), 0.5704 (1989),
0.3715 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499 (1986), 0.3940 (1985)

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

- Communications
Highways: small indigenous road network, Israelis developing east-west
axial highways

Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded;
stations--no AM, no FM, no TV

- Defense Forces
Branches: NA

Military manpower: NA

Defense expenditures: NA
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