As Israelis enjoy 5G, Palestinians are told they can have 4G 'soon'

The highly anticipated rollout of 4G or fourth-generation mobile connections in Palestine will take place "soon", a leading Palestinian official has promised.

Hussein Al-Sheikh, the General Authority of Civil Affairs chief, revealed the news on Tuesday, which comes a year after 5G was rolled out in Israel, which continues to occupy the West Bank.

"The 4G service will soon be available in #Palestine, which is a leap of quality in the world of communication and an upgrade in the level of service," he tweeted.

Al-Sheikh sits on the Fatah Central Committee, the group overseeing the faction headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The introduction of 4G would be a significant improvement to the existing 3G mobile network, which has long been surpassed in other areas of the world.

In the UK, for example, 4G first became available to customers in late 2012.

In Israel, 5G technology is now available - highlighting the growing divide in infrastructure and services between Israelis and Palestinians.

Palestine's economic and societal growth has long been hampered by Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank.

Access to 3G for Palestinians in the West Bank also came late. Israel was given control over Palestine's phone connections in peace deals in the 1990s, something which has been staunchly criticised by the Palestinian Authority.

It was not immediately clear what, if any, relationship Israel had with the latest 4G breakthrough but the announcement came shortly after Defence Minister Benny Gantz's visit to Ramallah.