The Human Truth Foundation

Palestine (Occupied Palestinian Territory)

http://www.humantruth.info/palestine.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

#atheism #israel #jordan #palestine

Palestine
Occupied Palestinian Territory
StatusProto Independent State (OIsraelupied)
Capital
Land Area
LocationAsia, The Mediterranean, The Middle East
Population4.9m1
Life Expectancy73.47yrs (2017)2
GNI$6 583 (2017)3
ISO3166-1 Codes, , 4
Internet Domain5
Currency6
Telephone+7

1. Overview

Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. (The territories Israel occupied since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted.) On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. Progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by Israeli-Palestinian violence between September 2003 and February 2005. Israel in 2005 unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, evacuating settlers and its military while retaining control over most points of entry into the Gaza Strip. The election of HAMAS to head the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006 froze relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). In 2006 Israel engaged in a 34-day conflict with Hizballah in Lebanon in June-August 2006 and a 23-day conflict with HAMAS in the Gaza Strip during December 2008 and January 2009. Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU formed a coalition in March 2009 following a February 2009 general election. Direct talks with the PA launched in September 2010 collapsed following the expiration of Israel's 10-month partial settlement construction moratorium in the West Bank.

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)8

2. Palestine National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)9
Pos.Higher is better
Value9
1Switzerland0.962
2Norway0.961
3Iceland0.959
...
104Libya0.718
105Paraguay0.717
106=St Lucia0.715
106=Palestine0.715
108Guyana0.714
109S. Africa0.713
110Jamaica0.709
111Samoa0.707
Asia Avg0.75
World Avg0.72
q=191.
Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)9
Pos.Higher is better
PPP $9
1Liechtenstein$146 830
2Singapore$90 919
3Qatar$87 134
...
125Morocco$7 303
126Tonga$6 822
127India$6 590
128Palestine$6 583
129Tuvalu$6 351
130Belize$6 309
131Cape Verde$6 230
132Ghana$5 745
Asia Avg$22 215
World Avg$20 136
q=193.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

As a territory of Israel I do not have many specific statistics for this territory in its own right.

3. Palestine's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population

Population:

Palestine's population is predicted to rise to 6.755 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 4.31. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Population1
Pos.2018
Population1
1China1.4b
2India1.4b
3USA327.1m
...
117Norway5.3m
118Congo, (Brazzaville)5.2m
119Costa Rica5.0m
120Palestine4.9m
121Oman4.8m
122Liberia4.8m
123Ireland4.8m
124New Zealand4.7m
World Avg39.0m
q=195.
Life Expectancy
Higher is better
9
Pos.2021
Years9
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
...
78Vietnam73.6
79Latvia73.6
80Mauritius73.6
81Palestine73.5
82N. Korea73.3
83Trinidad & Tobago73.0
84Colombia72.8
85Dominica72.8
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Fertility Rate
2.0 is best
10
Pos.201310
1N. Korea2.00
2Brunei1.99
3St Vincent & Grenadines2.01
...
144Burundi4.10
145Ivory Coast4.27
146Eritrea4.28
147Palestine4.31
148Cameroon4.33
149Mauritania4.40
150Congo, (Brazzaville)4.46
151Central African Rep.4.46
World Avg2.81
q=180.
Old-Age Dependency Ratio
Lower is better
11
Pos.2016
Per 10011
1Uganda04.3
2Mali04.5
3=Chad04.7
...
36Madagascar06.4
37=Papua New Guinea06.4
38Ghana06.5
39=Palestine06.5
40Ethiopia06.6
41=Swaziland06.6
42Central African Rep.06.8
43=Sudan06.8
World Avg18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants12
Pos.2017
%12
1UAE88.4%
2Kuwait75.5%
3Qatar65.2%
...
81Syria5.5%
82Thailand5.2%
83Hungary5.2%
84Palestine5.2%
85Argentina4.9%
86Panama4.7%
87Tonga4.6%
88Venezuela4.5%
World Avg9.4%
q=195.
Emigrants13
Pos.2010
%13
1Dominica104.8%
2Palestine68.4%
3Samoa67.3%
4Grenada65.5%
5St Kitts & Nevis61.1%
6Guyana56.9%
7Monaco56.3%
8Antigua & Barbuda47.6%
9Tonga45.4%
10Albania45.4%
11Barbados41.0%
12Suriname39.0%
World Avg11.5%
q=192.

4. Palestine's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freethought #gender_equality #human_rights #international_law #mass_media #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #tolerance #women

Compared to Asia (2020)14
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank14
1Hong Kong24.3
2Taiwan28.2
3Japan41.9
...
43Myanmar (Burma)128.5
44Syria132.9
45Iran133.6
46Saudi Arabia134.5
47=Palestine138.0
48Afghanistan140.6
49Pakistan141.3
50N. Korea146.5
51Brunei147.1
Asia Avg99.9
q=51.
Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)14
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank14
1Sweden9.0
2Norway14.5
3Denmark14.5
...
180Samoa135.9
181Angola136.0
182Vanuatu137.8
183=Palestine138.0
183=Kiribati138.0
185Eritrea139.5
186Afghanistan140.6
187Djibouti140.6
World Avg87.9
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark15. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu15.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe15, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia15.

For more, see:

Human Rights & Tolerance:

HR Treaties Lag
Lower is better16
Pos.2019
Avg Yrs/Treaty16
1Ecuador2.15
2Uruguay2.25
3Tunisia3.65
...
188Kiribati15.80
189Solomon Islands15.81
190Nauru16.16
191Sao Tome & Principe16.17
192Tuvalu16.33
193Palau16.34
194Marshall Islands16.34
195Palestine17.21
Asia Avg10.97
World Avg10.02
q=195.
Press Freedom
Lower is better17
Pos.201317
1Finland638
2Netherlands648
3Norway652
...
142Cambodia4181
143Bangladesh4201
144Malaysia4273
145Palestine4309
146Philippines4311
147Russia4342
148Singapore4343
149Iraq4467
Asia Avg4378
World Avg3249
q=178.

Amnesty International's 2023-23 summary on human rights in Palestine stated:

Palestinian armed groups in Gaza committed apparent war crimes during three days of fighting with Israel in August, using unguided rockets in populated civilian areas and killing at least seven Palestinian civilians. Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip continued to heavily restrict freedom of expression, association and assembly. They also held scores of people in arbitrary detention and subjected many to torture and other ill treatment. Justice for serious human rights violations remained elusive. The Hamas de facto authorities in Gaza carried out the first executions in five years.

"The State of the World's Human Rights 2022/23" by Amnesty International (2023)18

Gender Equality:

See:

Gender Biases
Lower is better
19
Pos.2022
%19
1Sweden31.820
2New Zealand34.421
3Australia37.021
...
60Mongolia97.421
61Uzbekistan97.920
62Kyrgyzstan98.121
63Palestine98.220
64Kuwait98.320
65Jordan98.521
66Burkina Faso98.622
67Algeria98.720
Asia Avg94.24
World Avg83.93
q=88.

Prejudice:

Freedom of Thought
Lower is better
23
Pos.202123
1=Belgium1.0
1=Netherlands1.0
1=Taiwan1.0
...
148Uzbekistan3.7
149Myanmar (Burma)3.8
150=Zimbabwe3.8
150=Palestine3.8
150=Belarus3.8
150=Sri Lanka3.8
150=Russia3.8
150=Thailand3.8
Asia Avg3.7
World Avg3.0
q=196.

5. Palestine's Health

#birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #overpopulation #Palestine #parenting #population

Compared to Asia (2020)24
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank24
1Hong Kong18.3
2Maldives41.0
3Singapore42.6
...
42=Azerbaijan100.0
43Syria101.3
44=Afghanistan103.8
45Timor-Leste (E. Timor)105.6
46Yemen112.0
47Philippines112.9
48Laos115.9
49Palestine116.7
50Iraq130.9
Asia Avg80.1
q=50.
Health (2020)24
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank24
1Monaco13.0
2Hong Kong18.3
3Maldives41.0
...
173Central African Rep.115.5
174Laos115.9
175Guinea-Bissau116.4
176Palestine116.7
177Cameroon117.8
178Burkina Faso118.1
179Venezuela118.5
180=Chad119.9
World Avg93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives25. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau25.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and The Mediterranean25, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa25.

For more, see:

Health:

Palestine is a pretty unhealthy country. Palestine does better than average when it comes to its average life expectancy9. However Palestine performs less well in most areas. It does worse than average in terms of its adolescent birth rate26 and in its fertility rate10. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016. Life expectancy in Palestine improved by +7.3yrs in the 30 years from 1990, on par with the global average improvement of +7.9yrs.

Life Expectancy
Higher is better
9
Pos.2021
Years9
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
...
78Vietnam73.6
79Latvia73.6
80Mauritius73.6
81Palestine73.5
82N. Korea73.3
83Trinidad & Tobago73.0
84Colombia72.8
85Dominica72.8
Asia Avg73.48
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Fertility Rate
2.0 is best
10
Pos.201310
1N. Korea2.00
2Brunei1.99
3St Vincent & Grenadines2.01
...
144Burundi4.10
145Ivory Coast4.27
146Eritrea4.28
147Palestine4.31
148Cameroon4.33
149Mauritania4.40
150Congo, (Brazzaville)4.46
151Central African Rep.4.46
Asia Avg2.46
World Avg2.81
q=180.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate
Lower is better
26
Pos.2015
Per 100026
1N. Korea0.5
2S. Korea1.6
3Switzerland2.9
...
119Seychelles57.4
120Paraguay57.4
121Ethiopia58.4
122Palestine58.6
123Jamaica59.7
124Azerbaijan59.8
125Yemen61.5
126Philippines61.7
Asia Avg29.9
World Avg47.9
q=185.

6. Palestine's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #over-exploitation #the_environment

Compared to Asia (2023)27
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank27
1Japan33.2
2Philippines45.0
3Sri Lanka49.0
...
43UAE114.4
44Kuwait115.4
45Uzbekistan118.5
46Afghanistan120.3
47Brunei121.5
48Iraq122.5
49Tajikistan125.0
50Bahrain128.0
51Palestine147.5
Asia Avg88.8
q=51.
Responsibility Towards The Environment (2023)27
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank27
1Japan33.2
2Philippines45.0
3Uruguay48.0
...
181Tajikistan125.0
182Liberia125.8
183Bahrain128.0
184Haiti131.0
185Libya132.8
186Gabon141.7
187Palestine147.5
188Eritrea155.0
World Avg85.7
q=188.
Palestine ranks 2nd-worst in the world, after Palestine, in terms of its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is derived from 3 data sets. Palestine does better than average when it comes to its forested percent change 1990-201528. But that's it. Palestine has problems. It does worse than average for the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population29. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 in terms of how quickly it ratified the 1993 Convention on Biological Diversity.

Forest Area Change 1990-2015
Higher is better
28
Pos.2015
%28
1Iceland+205.6
2Bahrain+144.4
3Uruguay+131.3
...
71Germany+01.2
72Estonia+01.2
73Seychelles+01.1
74Palestine+01.0
75Tajikistan+01.0
76Slovakia+01.0
77Russia+00.8
78Sweden+00.8
Asia Avg+07.0
World Avg+02.8
q=184.
Convention on Biological Diversity
Earlier is better
Pos.0
Signed
1=China1993 Dec 29
1=Guinea1993 Dec 29
1=Cook Islands1993 Dec 29
...
190Timor-Leste (E. Timor)2007 Jan 08
191Brunei2008 Jul 27
192Iraq2009 Oct 26
193Somalia2009 Dec 10
194Palestine2015 Apr 02
195Andorra2015 May 05
196USA
197Vatican City
Asia Avg1899 Dec 30
World Avg1899 Dec 30
q=197.
Rational Beliefs on the Environment
Higher is better29
Pos.2011
%29
1Argentina78.3%
2Greece77.6%
3Brazil77.1%
...
98Comoros28.3%
99Ireland27.9%
100Israel27.6%
101Palestine27.5%
102Saudi Arabia27.2%
103Belgium26.9%
104Syria26.6%
105Qatar26.5%
Asia Avg37.9%
World Avg39.9%
q=145.

7. Palestine's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #religion #religiosity #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to Asia (2020)30
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank30
1Taiwan10.0
2Japan21.9
3=S. Korea24.0
...
33Oman88.9
34=Mongolia90.0
35Brunei91.6
36Palestine92.0
37Indonesia92.3
38Pakistan97.9
39Maldives99.8
40Turkmenistan105.3
41Nepal110.8
Asia Avg79.0
q=51.
Modernity & Learning (2020)30
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank30
1Finland8.4
2Taiwan10.0
3Switzerland15.1
...
120Bolivia90.1
121St Vincent & Grenadines90.3
122Brunei91.6
123Palestine92.0
124Indonesia92.3
125Nigeria94.1
126French Polynesia95.0
127Uganda95.3
World Avg83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Secondary Education
Higher is better
31
Pos.201831
1=Luxembourg100.0%
1=Estonia100.0%
1=Austria100.0%
...
88Guyana63.3%
89Ghana63.1%
90Peru62.2%
91Palestine61.1%
92Suriname60.5%
93Mexico59.7%
94Bahrain59.6%
95Brazil59.5%
Asia Avg66.0%
World Avg63.0%
q=169.
Length of Schooling
Higher is better
32
Pos.2021
Years32
1Australia21.1
2New Zealand20.3
3Greece20.0
...
95Azerbaijan13.5
96Jamaica13.4
97Sao Tome & Principe13.4
98Palestine13.4
99Malaysia13.3
100Dominica13.3
101Andorra13.3
102Bhutan13.2
Asia Avg13.5
World Avg13.5
q=193.
Religiosity
Lower is better
33
Pos.2018
%33
1China3
2Estonia6
3Czechia7
...
76Iraq82
77=El Salvador85
77=Jordan85
79Palestine86
80=Uganda86
80=Chad86
80=Niger86
83Kenya87
Asia Avg55.8
World Avg54.3
q=106.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users
Higher is better
34
Pos.201634
1Iceland100%
2Faroe Islands99%
3Norway98%
...
71Saudi Arabia65%
72French Polynesia64%
73Albania63%
74Palestine63%
75Montenegro62%
76Bosnia & Herzegovina62%
77Azerbaijan61%
78Belarus61%
Asia Avg48.7%
World Avg48.1%
q=201.
IPv6 Uptake
Higher is better
35
Pos.2017
Ratio35
1Belgium55.4
2Germany41.8
3Switzerland35.1
...
145=Oman0.0
145=Papua New Guinea0.0
145=French Polynesia0.0
145=Palestine0.0
145=Lesotho0.0
145=Monaco0.0
145=Bermuda0.0
145=Isle of Man0.0
Asia Avg2.11
World Avg3.82
q=176.

8. National Culture

#happiness

Happiness
Higher is better
36
Pos.2018
Score36
1Finland7.6
2Norway7.6
3Denmark7.6
...
101Nepal4.9
102Venezuela4.8
103Gabon4.8
104Palestine4.7
105S. Africa4.7
106Iran4.7
107Ivory Coast4.7
108Ghana4.7
Asia Avg5.29
World Avg5.38
q=156.

9. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index
Lower is better
37
Pos.2023
Score37
1Iceland1.12
2Denmark1.31
3Ireland1.31
...
131USA2.45
132Brazil2.46
133Eritrea2.51
134Palestine2.54
135Lebanon2.58
136Mexico2.60
137Libya2.61
138Niger2.63
Asia Avg2.17
World Avg2.07
q=163.
Impact of Terrorism
Lower is better
38
Pos.2019
Score38
1Togo0.00
2Mongolia0.00
3Swaziland0.00
...
116Indonesia5.07
117Nepal5.09
118Burundi5.10
119Palestine5.18
120Bangladesh5.21
121Saudi Arabia5.24
122Ethiopia5.35
123UK5.41
Asia Avg3.60
World Avg2.78
q=150.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #poverty #social_development

Inequality in Life Expectancy
Lower is better39
Pos.201939
1Iceland2.40
2=Singapore2.50
2=Hong Kong2.50
...
93N. Korea11.50
94Egypt11.60
95=Panama12.00
95=Palestine12.00
97Solomon Islands12.10
98Cape Verde12.20
99El Salvador12.50
100Suriname12.80
Asia Avg11.80
World Avg14.59
q=184.
Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient)
Lower is better40
Pos.2017
%40
1Ukraine25.0
2=Belarus25.4
2=Slovenia25.4
...
44UK33.2
45Pakistan33.5
46Armenia33.6
47=Palestine33.7
47=Guinea33.7
47=Jordan33.7
50Luxembourg33.8
51=Sierra Leone34.0
Asia Avg35.2
World Avg38.1
q=152.
Multidimensional Poverty
Lower is better41
Pos.2018
Severity41
1Armenia.001
2Ukraine.001
3Serbia.001
...
10Albania.003
11Thailand.003
12Moldova.004
13Palestine.004
14Tunisia.005
15St Lucia.007
16Libya.007
17Algeria.008
Asia Avg.084
World Avg.154
q=101.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)33
Pos.Lower is better
%33
1China3
2Estonia6
3Czechia7
...
76Iraq82
77=El Salvador85
77=Jordan85
79Palestine86
80=Uganda86
80=Chad86
80=Niger86
83Kenya87
84=Mozambique87
85Congo, DR88
86=Nigeria88
86=Nicaragua88
88Djibouti89
89=Ghana89
89=Guatemala89
91Honduras90
World Avg54.3
q=106.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below42:

Christian2.4%
Muslim97.6%
Hindu0.1%
Buddhist0.1%
Folk Religion0.1%
Jewish0.1%
Unaffiliated0.1%

The International Humanist and Ethical Union produced a report in 2012 entitled "Freedom of Thought" (2012)43, in which they document bias and prejudice at the national level that is based on religion, belief and/or lack of belief. Their entry for Palestine states:

Freedom of religion or belief in various parts of the Occupied Territories falls under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority (in much of the West Bank), or Israel, or Hamas (in the Gaza Strip). The "Basic Law" that functions as a constitution for the Palestinian Authority recognizes international human rights standards, which include freedom of thought and expression. However, in the West Bank territories the old Jordanian law against "defaming religion" is still in force and may result in a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Cases of Discrimination

On Oct. 31, 2010, a 26-year-old blogger was arrested in the West Bank for posting allegedly blasphemous comments on Facebook and his blog. Waleed Hasayin, who used the named Waleed al-Husseini online, described himself as "an atheist from Jerusalem-Palestine" and wrote that God is "a primitive Bedoiun and anthropomorphic" and that "people are free to think and believe in whatever suits them." He was charged with "defaming religion". Hasayin was released in 2012 and fled to Europe, where he is seeking asylum.

"Freedom of Thought" by IHEU (2012)44

Links: