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| Independence Year : Population : 3101000 Life Expectancy : 71.4 Capital : 4074 GNP : 4173.00 GNP Old : 0.00 Local Name : Filastin Government Form :Autonomous Area Location : Middle East Terrain : Gaza--sand- and dune-covered coastal plain; West Bank--mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west Climate : A Mediterranean climate prevails in Palestine. Summers are hot and dry. Winters are rainy and cold. Ethnic Group : Palestinian Arab, Jewish Religions : Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% Official Website :www.palestine-info.co.uk | 
Genral Information - Palestine
Background
The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external security and for internal security and public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Permanent status is to be determined through direct negotiations, which resumed in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus. An intifadah broke out in September 2000; the resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and instability in the Palestinian Authority are undermining progress toward a permanent settlement |
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