The Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Subcommittee on Yehuda & Shomron convened on Monday 17 Marcheshvan. Committee members tried to determine how many Arabs are living throughout Yehuda and Shomron. The committee received data that states there are between 1.7 and 2.8 million Arab residents. The meeting was initiated by committee chairman MK (Bayit Yehudi) Moti Yogev.

Yogev explained the data is relevant for many decisions made by Knesset committees are based on the number of Arabs and Israelis living in Yehuda and Shomron. According to the PA (Palestinian Authority) Central Bureau of Statistics, there are 2.79 million residents, which includes 411,000 Arabs in the eastern capital.

Researchers Yoram Ettinger and Yaakov Faitelson, who published the report “Demographic Trends in the Land of Israel’ place the number at 1.7 million, adding there is an increase in migration from PA areas and the PA birthrate is down. Hebrew University demographics expert Prof. Sergio DellaPergola puts the number at 2.34 million. He feels that Ettinger and Faitelson failed to address the mortality rate and natural growth.

An official in the IDF Civil Administration Population Registry was unable to shed light on the picture. He explains the Civil Administration uses figures provided by the PA Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

The committee members feel that the numbers provided by the PA CBS are unreliable and fail to adequately report the ages of residents as well as mortality and birth rates and migration from the PA. Nevertheless the committee is aware these are the number used by most Israeli government agencies. The committee decided to request from Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and IDF Coordinator of Activities in Yehuda & Shomron Major-General Yoav Mordechai to conduct a census in areas “C” of Yehuda and Shomron, areas under total and exclusive Israeli control in the hope of obtaining accurate demographic data from those areas. The committee will also be asking the Prime Minister’s Office and the Central Bureau of Statistics to reestablish the unit to determine the size of the Arab population throughout Yehuda and Shomron.

Yogev hopes to have a response from the various agencies in a month and then the committee will convene to determine how to proceed towards obtaining accurate and reliable information.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)