Data for third country goods entering the WBGS through Israeli ports pertain only to those passing through the Gaza Strip crossing points. The absence of customs borders between Israel and the West Bank makes estimating imports destined for the West Bank difficult. In addition to formal imports, a significant amount of imports enter the WBGS informally in the baggage of travelers. Information on truckload exports to Egypt or to other countries via Israeli ports is not available. As of April 1999, the PCBS had not released construction statistics for fourth-quarter 1998.
Data exclude the retroactive licensing of already existing buildings or parts of existing buildings.
Most businesses in the WBGS are sole-proprietorships which are not registered with the Companies Registrar. Furthermore, there is a lack of data on the number of company bankruptcies which would provide a more complete picture of business formation. Thus, information in this section should be interpreted with care. Private unlimited-liability companies consist of two or more proprietors whose financial liability in legal proceedings includes their assets in the company, as well as their personal assets. The registration fee is about USD 10.