Palestine| Official name | State of Palestine |
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| Political capital | East Jerusalem |
| Territory surface | 6.165 km2 |
| Population | 4.93 millions |
| Population density | 818.64 km2 |
| Major cities | Gaza, Nablus, East Jerusalem, Khan Yunis |
| Neighboring countries | Jordan, Egypt |
| Form of Government | Semi-presidential Republic |
|---|---|
| Official religions | Islam, with Christian minorities |
| Local currency | Israeli new shekel (ILS), Jordan Dinar (JOD), Egyptian pound (EGP) |
| Currency exchange rate | 0,27 US Dollars (= 1 shekel) |
| GDP | 13.4 billion USD |
| GDP rate | 3.3% |
| Inflation | -0.2% |
| Unemployment | 31.7% |
| Official languages | Arabic |
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| Political situation | The Palestinian Authority (PA) is the main government authority, which includes an executive arm (the Government of Prime Minister Hamdallah) and a legislative arm (Palestinian Legislative Council, PLC). Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is the president of the PA and remains in office with the support of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), even if his term technically expired on January 9, 2009. The current executive of the Palestinian Authority, chaired by Prime Minister Hamdallah, has been in office since December 2015 and governs the West Bank. The Gaza Strip has been administered since 2007 by a de facto authority headed by Hamas. In the autumn of 2017, the process of reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah (President Abbas's party, which controls the Palestinian Authority) was re-launched, which should allow the PA to summarize the functions of government in the Gaza Strip as well. |
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Italian diplomatic relations with Palestine strengthened cooperation thanks to a number of agreements and joint ventures reached by the foreign ministries of both countries, together with industrial and commercial institution. The partnership aims at sustaining industrial and commercial development through promoting economic growth. Furthermore, being an Active Donor of the EU, Italy has as a goal the financial inclusion of marginalized areas of the Palestinian territories together with the promotion of local SMEs providing them of employment possibility. Lastly, the strategic location of Palestine, close to the neighboring MENA countries’ trade routes, encourages foreign capitals flux.
Palestine is located at the intersection of Europe, Africa and Asia. Positioned in the heart of the Arab world, the Palestinian Territories are close to many of the global trade routes. This is a competitive advantage especially for trade with the Arab world with which there are solid business relationships. The Palestinian economic system can also count on different investment funds of the Gulf countries, above all Dubai. Private sector development is at the heart of the PA's priorities. The Palestinian workforce is qualified and has an extensive network of trade links with neighboring markets.