Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza

Israel and the Palestinian Territory (the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem) are located in the Middle East on or near the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, Egypt on the southwest, and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea to the south.

  • Population
    4,039,000
  • Land mass
    8,522
  • Life Expectancy
    73 years
  • Literacy Rate
    95%
  • Access to Safe Water
    91%
  • Under Age 5 Mortality Rate
    22/1000
Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza Map

US Comparison to Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza

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Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza United States
Population
4,039,000
307,000,000
Land Mass
8,522
3,794,083 sq miles
Life Expectancy
73 years
78 years
Infant Mortality
22/1000
7/1000
Literacy Rate
95%
97%
School Enrollment
78%
92%
Access to Safe Water
91%
100%
Average Annual Income
$25,740
$41,400

World Vision in Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza Today

World Vision is committed to partnering with both Palestinians and Israelis to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future security, freedom and dignity of all children, families, and communities in the Holy Land. World Vision’s child sponsorship program plays a vital role in the lives of children in the region, with donors from around the world. World Vision Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza has 44,526 children registered in its programs, of which 35,492 are sponsored. Donors in the United States sponsor more than 10,000 girls and boys among the total of registered children. In addition to sponsorship, World Vision operates other programs that benefit Palestinian and Israeli communities. Highlights include:

  • Partnering with the Palestinian Church to help strengthen the Christian household economy, enabling and empowering families to remain in the Holy Land, rather than emigrating.
  • Providing vocational training in sewing, embroidery, knitting, cosmetics, hairdressing, and computer literacy.
  • Partnering with local Israeli and Palestinian organizations in advocating for the improved well-being of children and empowering Palestinian and Israeli voices to advocate for peace and justice.
  • Improving the well-being of children and their families in the West Bank and Gaza Strip through school renovations, adequate school supplies, road construction, and other inventions.
  • Promoting peace-building by bringing together bereaved family members of Israeli and Palestinian descent to reconcile and heal from the wounds of conflict.

World Vision History in Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza

World Vision began working in the region in 1975, supporting a secondary school for boys in Bethlehem. Since then, some of World Vision’s major accomplishments include:

  • Improving the availability and quality of education for children in the West Bank and Gaza.
  • Providing counseling, individual treatment, and family and group therapy to children and adults.Assisting families through agricultural training, housing and school renovation, healthcare services, and other interventions since 2000. 
  • Distributing emergency kits and providing recovery assistance to families in response to the 2008/2009 Gaza crisis. 

Geography & People

Israel and the Palestinian territory (the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem) are located in the Middle East on or near the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, Egypt on the southwest, and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea to the south.

The region contains low coastal plains, central mountain ranges, a rugged upland plateau in the east, and the Negev Desert in the south of Israel. The climate is temperate, with hot summers and mild winters.

Natural resources include timber, copper, natural gas, clay, and sand for Israel; limestone, olive oil, and arable land for the West Bank.

Palestinian Arabs make up more than 99 percent of the Gaza Strip’s population and the majority of the population in the West Bank, although there is a large and increasing number of Israelis living in West Bank settlements that are considered illegal by the United Nations. In Israel, 75 percent of the population is Israeli Jew, 20.5 percent are Palestinian Muslims and Christians, and the remainder are Druze or other descent. 
 
In the Palestinian territory, Arabic is the official language, while many also speak English and Hebrew. In Israel, Hebrew, and Arabic are the two official languages; many people also speak English or Russian.
 
History
 
The Zionist movement began in the nineteenth century with the aim of establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Jewish immigration to Palestine started in the nineteenth century and was intensified following World War II and the Holocaust. Prior to the massive influx of European Jews to Palestine, smaller Jewish communities were living peacefully among the majority indigenous Palestinian population.
 
With a substantial increase in the Jewish population following WWII, the Jewish Zionist Movement established the State of Israel in 1948. The Jewish community celebrated a new beginning while Palestinians were devastated by displacement. Regional war soon ensued. After a year, a ceasefire was declared and Jordan governed the West Bank, while Egypt administered the Gaza Strip.
 
After the War of 1948, 75 percent of the Arab population of Palestine fled or were expelled outside of what became the state of Israel. The resulting Palestinian refugee population was not absorbed by Israel nor the surrounding Arab states, and more than 600,000 Arabs became refugees.
 
In 1967, Israel defeated Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian forces during the Six-Day War and occupied the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights. The war displaced many people within the West Bank and Gaza Strip, adding to the world’s largest and longest-running refugee crisis.
 
Shortly after the war, the UN unanimously passed Security Council resolution 242, which called for the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from the occupied territories, peace within secure borders, implementation of several security measures, and a just settlement to the refugee crisis. This resolution is yet to be implemented.  It has been widely accepted by all parties that this serves as a primary basis for a peaceful resolution.
 
After further conflict and a peace treaty (the Oslo Accord) during the 1990s that has proven ineffective, the international community pushed for renewed peace negotiations in 2007-2008. Today, Israelis continue to live in anxiety and fear about their security. Palestinians continue to live under the reality of a military occupation. 

Prayer Requests for Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza

Please pray for:

Children in our programs in Jerusalem, West Bank, and Gaza who do not have access to basic material resources including adequate education, quality healthcare, and access to clean water.

The church in the Holy Land -- both in Israel and the West Bank. Pray for its sustainability, growth, and presence as peace-builders in the midst of conflict.

Peace. As as we worship the Prince of Peace, pray that Christians around the world would join in efforts of reconciliation and peace-building on behalf of the people living in the Holy Land.

Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza Facts

  • The Palestinian economy has struggled over the past years. Unemployment in the Gaza Strip is very high and more than half of the population lives below the poverty line. Almost a quarter of Palestinians in the West Bank live below the poverty line.
  • In 2009, the World Food Program estimated that 25 percent of people in the West Bank and about 60 percent of people in the Gaza Strip experienced food insecurity.

Child Sponsorship

Through sponsorship, World Vision is partnering with families and communities to help meet immediate needs and promote lasting changes that will strengthen communities and move families toward self-reliance.

Each year sponsors receive updates about their sponsored child and their community. Sponsors also learn about the child's continuing activities and new accomplishments so when they correspond with their child, they can encourage them in their education, hobbies and endeavors.

The commitment of World Vision sponsors helps provide children with love, hope, and opportunities for a healthy, productive future. May God bless sponsors as they make a lasting difference in the life of a special child.

Progress in Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, World Vision was able to work alongside communities to accomplish the
following in 2012.

Food and Agriculture

  • Upgraded irrigation systems to enable farmers to grow crops year-round.

Education

  • Facilitated remedial classes and tutoring for children with learning difficulties, decreasing the number of students who drop out of school.
  • Remodeled a kindergarten, renovated schools, and built classrooms, providing inviting and safe learning environments.

Child Rights

  • Held seminars to raise community members’ awareness of civil law, conflict resolution, human rights, and child protection.
  • Upgraded three Child-Friendly Spaces in Bethlehem and the Gaza Strip, in cooperation with the Palestinian Church and local municipality.
 

Birthday Celebration

  • Birthday celebrations included educational dramas, entertainment, games, and gifts.

Healthcare

  • Trained pregnant women and new mothers in health and nutrition.
  • Held community information sessions on water treatment and hygiene, working to reduce the prevalence of waterborne illness.
  • Counseled children distressed by conflict, many of whom had stopped sleeping or talking, and organized activities to help them learn coping skills.
  • Organized free health clinics for people living in a refugee camp, addressing their immediate health needs.

Economic Opportunities

  • Partnered with the Palestinian Church to organize vocational training and help connect small producers with international markets.
  • Worked with the Palestinian Church to support activities that enable young men and women to enhance their skills, gain employment, and start new businesses.