#_Telecommunications: 225 telephones; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV

_*_Defense Forces
_#_Note: defense is the responsibility of France
_%_
_@_West Bank
_#_Note: The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967 ended
with Israel in control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Sinai,
and the Golan Heights. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and
reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative, the
final status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, their relationship with
their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be
negotiated among the concerned parties. Camp David further specifies
that these negotiations will resolve the respective boundaries. Pending
the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip 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.

_*_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

_*_People
_#_Populati