GDP per capita in Israel¹⁵⁶ is Intl $21,223. This falls within the range of $21,223 (Israel) and $600 (Palestinian Authority Gaza Strip) in the 6 MECC countries of the Middle East (Table 9).

Table 9 GDP per capita (Intl $): 6 MECC countries of the Middle East, 2001

Source WHO (2001) *CIA World Factbook (2003est.)**(2002est.)

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 occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. In April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. 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. In addition, in May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. 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. US and other international attempts, since September 2000, to encourage a permanent status agreement have failed in the face of ongoing violent conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians. A change of Palestinian leadership took place following the death of long time Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on 10 November 2004. A new president, Mahmoud Abbas was elected on 9 January 2005, since when there have been renewed negotiations towards a peaceful settlement.