PALESTINE
The creation of an Arab state in the territory of Palestine was stipulated by UN General Assembly Resolution 181 on November 29, 1947, which called for the termination of the British mandate over Palestine, established after World War I, and the creation of two independent states on its territory - Arab and Jewish. Jerusalem was designated as a separate administrative unit with a special international regime (considered a holy city by Christians, Jews, and Muslims).
During the 1948-49 war with neighboring Arab states, Israel captured part of the territory of Palestine intended for the Arab state. The remaining part, under the control of Jordan (the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including the Old City) and Egypt (the Gaza Strip), was seized by Israel during the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.
For a long time, Palestinian Arabs did not recognize the division of Palestine and UN Resolution 181, engaging in political and armed struggle against the occupation and refusing to negotiate with Israel. In May 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was established, which was officially recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Arab people of Palestine at the conference of Arab leaders in Rabat (October 1974). In December 1987, a popular uprising ("intifada") broke out in the occupied Palestinian territories, with the main goals of ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state.
In a political declaration adopted by the XIX session of the Palestinian National Council (PNC - Palestinian parliament in exile) in Algiers on November 15, 1988, the Palestinian state was proclaimed, and UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 were recognized (i.e., Israel's right to exist), with demands for Israel's withdrawal from all Palestinian and Arab territories occupied in 1967, including the Arab (eastern) part of Jerusalem, as well as the dismantling of all Israeli settlements illegally established there during this period.
The geographical boundaries of the state that Palestinians seek to establish include the West Bank (5,655 km²) and the Gaza Strip (365 km²), as well as East (Arab) Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state. Currently, more than 3.7 million Palestinian Arabs live in these territories (1.3 million in the Gaza Strip, over 2.4 million in the West Bank, and over 240,000 in East Jerusalem) along with about 150,000 Israeli settlers. Additionally, up to 5 million Palestinian Arabs reside in neighboring Arab countries and other parts of the world, of which about 2 million have refugee status and receive assistance from the UN.
Diplomatic relations are maintained with the Russian Federation (on November 18, 1988, the USSR announced recognition of the "proclamation of the Palestinian state"). The PLO representation that existed in Moscow since 1974, which had diplomatic mission status since 1981, was transformed into the Embassy of the State of Palestine in January 1990. Since 1989, a Russian-Palestinian working committee on the Middle East has been in operation.
Palestinians commemorate significant dates: November 29 - International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, January 1 - Day of the Start of the Palestinian Revolution, November 15 - Day of the Proclamation of the Palestinian State (1988).
In 1991, the PLO leadership sanctioned the participation of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza in the Madrid Peace Conference on the Middle East. Within the framework of the Middle Eastern peace process, co-sponsored by the USA and Russia, Israel and the PLO signed the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements in Washington in September 1993, which provided for the establishment of temporary Palestinian self-government in the West Bank and Gaza. In accordance with the Declaration, an agreement was signed in May 1994 for the introduction of Palestinian self-government in the Gaza Strip and the Jericho area, and in September 1995, a Temporary Agreement was signed to expand its framework in the West Bank and conduct democratic elections in the Palestinian territories. On January 20, 1996, the first general elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) were held (since November 2004, the chairman of the PLC has been R. Fattuh). In July 2002, the Basic Law, which serves as the basis for the future Palestinian constitution, came into effect. Y. Arafat was elected as the first head of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). After his death in November 2004, elections were held for a new head of the PNA (January 2005), which was M. Abbas. Since April 2003, the position of Prime Minister of the PNA has been introduced.
As a result of the implementation of interim Palestinian-Israeli agreements, including the agreement in Wye Plantation (USA) in 1998, the PNA nominally received control over 39.7% of the West Bank (including 18% under full control and 21.7% under partial control) and 65% of the Gaza Strip. There are more than 100 Jewish settlements located in the Palestinian territories, which are under full jurisdiction of Israel. Additionally, the Israeli army continues to control roads and establish military checkpoints around Palestinian cities.
The attempt made by the US administration led by B. Clinton in July 2000 to reach a final settlement at the Camp David summit failed due to disagreements between the parties on key issues of final status, including borders, the fate of Jerusalem, and Palestinian refugees. In September 2000, a new wave of armed confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis (the so-called "second intifada") swept the region.
The new head of the PNA, M. Abbas, set a course for the development of the peace process based on the "roadmap" developed by the "Quartet" of international mediators consisting of Russia, the USA, the EU, and the UN at the end of 2002. At his meeting with A. Sharon in Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) on February 8, 2005, agreements were reached on a ceasefire and the resumption of direct dialogue. The PNA coordinated actions during the implementation of A. Sharon's plan for withdrawal from Gaza and part of the West Bank. In mid-September 2005, these territories came under the control of the PNA.
The leading political force in the PNA remains the Palestine Liberation Organization (after the death of Y. Arafat, M. Abbas became the chairman of the PLO Executive Committee), which includes: the Palestinian Liberation Movement - FATAH (general secretary of the Central Committee - F. Qaddumi), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - PFLP, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine - DFLP, the People's Party (formerly the Communist Party), the Palestinian Democratic Union - FIDA, and others. FATAH, as the ruling party, controls a large portion of the 132 parliamentary seats in the PLC and 75% of ministerial posts.
Opposition to the official authorities comes from several Islamist organizations and groups. The largest among them is the Hamas organization (Islamic Resistance Movement), which has significantly strengthened its influence in the Palestinian territories following local government elections, and the Islamic Jihad movement. In March 2005, a Palestinian agreement was reached through Egyptian mediation to cease military actions against Israel (the so-called hudna).
Traditionally, the foundation of the Palestinian economy consists of agriculture, fishing, tourism, and handicrafts. The main export items of the PNA include building stone, industrial products and handicrafts, medicines, food products, flowers, as well as information technology products. Imports consist of oil and petroleum products, various types of industrial raw materials and semi-finished products, food products, vehicles and equipment, and electricity. The areas of the West Bank significantly surpass the Gaza Strip in terms of infrastructure and industrial development.
The intifada, which lasted more than 4 years, brought the Palestinian economy to a deep structural crisis.
The airport and seaport in Gaza have been destroyed. The tourism sector remains completely paralyzed, and there is stagnation in agriculture. The private sector has been severely affected - 17% of private companies have closed or gone bankrupt. Unemployment exceeds 30% of the entire working population. More than 47% of Palestinians live below the poverty line, with a monthly income not exceeding $60. GDP per capita ($896) is significantly lower than in Israel (about $17,000).
The PNA's dependence on external aid has increased. The first international conference on economic assistance to the agreements between the PLO and Israel, held in Washington in 1993, formed a donor "package" of $3.65 billion aimed at helping economic development and the establishment of self-governing structures in the Palestinian territories.
The total amount of donor commitments as of mid-2004 was over $4.6 billion, of which just over $3 billion was implemented. At the international conference in London on March 1, 2005, donors promised to provide Palestinians with additional assistance of $1.2 billion.
The PNA maintains active political contacts with most countries in the world. Permanent Palestinian representations exist in 86 countries, as well as at major international organizations, with 59 diplomatic missions of the PNA having embassy status.
There are 11 universities in the Palestinian territories, with the largest located in Birzeit, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Nablus.
Several newspapers and magazines are published in Arabic, including "Samid," "Al-Ayyam," "Sawt al-Jamahir."
Information agencies operate, including WAFA, radio stations ("Al-Ahlam," "Amwaj," etc.), and Palestinian television.