Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين, romanized: Filasṭīn), also known as the State of Palestine (دولة فلسطين, Dawlat Filasṭīn), is a de jure sovereign state in Western Asia. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) governs it and claims the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, Israel has occupied its claimed territory since the 1967 Six-Day War; the West Bank is currently divided into 165 Palestinian enclaves under partial Palestinian National Authority (PNA) civil rule, and 230 Israeli settlements into which Israeli law is "pipelined," while Gaza is ruled by Hamas and has been subject to a long-term blockade by Egypt and Israel since 2007.
Following World War II, the United Nations (UN) issued a Partition Plan for Mandatory Palestine in 1947, which advocated for the establishment of autonomous Arab and Jewish nations as well as an internationalized Jerusalem. The Jews supported the Partition Plan, while the Arabs opposed it. A civil war erupted out shortly after the United Nations General Assembly accepted the proposal as Resolution 181, and the plan was never executed. On the 14th of May 1948, the day following Israel's independence, neighboring Arab nations invaded the former British Mandate and battled Israeli troops in the First Arab–Israeli War. The Arab League then formed the All-Palestine Government on September 22, 1948, to manage the All-Palestine Protectorate in the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip. Except for Transjordan, which had invaded and then annexed the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, it was quickly recognized by all Arab League members. Though the All-Palestine Government's stated authority included the whole former Mandatory Palestine, its practical jurisdiction was restricted to the Gaza Strip. During the Six-Day War in June 1967, Israel gained the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria.
Yasser Arafat, then-PLO Chairman, declared the foundation of the State of Palestine on November 15, 1988, in Algiers. A year after the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, the PNA was founded to manage (to varied degrees) regions A and B in the West Bank, which included 165 enclaves, as well as the Gaza Strip. Following Hamas's victory as the dominant party in the PNA parliament in the most recent elections (2006), a dispute erupted between it and the Fatah party, resulting in Hamas's takeover of Gaza in 2007. (two years after the Israeli disengagement).
As of February 2020, the population of Palestine was 5,051,953, ranking it 121st in the world. Although Palestine claims Jerusalem as its capital, the city is under Israeli sovereignty; the international community does not accept either Palestine's or Israel's claims to the city. The State of Palestine has been recognized by 138 of the 193 UN members and has been a non-member observer state in the UN since 2012. Palestine is a member of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Group of 77, the International Olympic Committee, UNESCO, UNCTAD, and the International Criminal Court, among other organizations.
The monthly minimum wage in Palestine is set at ₪1,450.
Mandatory benefits postulated by law include a probationary period, pay on annual leaves, public holidays, sick leaves, maternity leave, paternity leave, and overtime pay. Statutory benefits also include social security benefits
The taxable income of any legal entity is taxed at a rate of 15%. Telecommunications firms and other businesses that have a franchise or a monopoly in the Palestinian market, on the other hand, are subject to a 20% income tax.
Unless there is a specific tax exemption under the Income Tax Law, all realized earnings in Palestine from any source for any individual are taxed.
Employees in Palestine are taxed on their earnings, salaries, and perks based on the following annual brackets and rates:
From 1 to 75,000 Israeli shekels (ILS): 5%
From ILS 75,001 to ILS 150,000: 10%
From ILS 150,001 and above: 15%
On VAT-eligible transactions, the VAT rate in Palestine is 16%. VAT on acquisitions of goods, services, and fixed assets, whether for domestic or international sales, is refundable. Imported products are subject to VAT at the amount of 16%. This input VAT is either subtracted from the output VAT or claimed from the VAT authorities.
Palestine's visa policy refers to special entrance requirements entering Palestinian areas. There are no visa restrictions placed on foreign nationals other than those imposed by Israel's visa policy.
The Israeli government controls entry to the West Bank, while Hamas controls access to Gaza. Visitors who arrive via the Allenby Bridge-King Hussein border crossing and make their ties to or intentions to go to the West Bank known may be issued an entrance stamp that allows them to travel solely in Palestinian Authority-controlled parts of the West Bank.
Exiting Gaza across the Erez border into Israel needs both a Hamas departure permission and an Israeli entrance permit. Israel provides permission mostly to persons seeking medical treatment, but also to certain merchants, Israeli workers, and students and sportsmen traveling abroad. In December 2019, 2,500 Gaza people entered Israel via the Erez gate. Exiting into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing is uncertain and needs prior approval from Egyptian officials. The bridge often shuts for lengthy periods of time, preventing people from leaving the Gaza Strip.
Visitors of Palestinian descent who cross the border from Jordan into Israel and the West Bank must have a Palestinian Authority passport or travel permit in order to exit and may only arrive through the Allenby Bridge. While Israeli passport holders are not permitted to cross via the Allenby Border Crossing and must instead utilize the Jordan River Crossing and the Yitzhak Rabin Crossing.
There is currently no information regarding employment service terms in the State of Palestine.
There is currently no information regarding employment service terms in the State of Palestine.
Israeli New Shekel
