Israel's West Bank housing policy by numbers

[Jefferson23]

May 10, 2015 11:17 P.M. (Updated: May 11, 2015)

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Since seizing the West Bank in 1967, Israel has held full control over all planning matters for both Palestinians and Jewish settlers in an area covering over 60 percent of the territory.

Although settlers can secure building permits with ease, the opposite is true for Palestinians who are forced to build illegally, with Israel bulldozing hundreds of unauthorized structures every year, rights groups say.

Villages vs settlements

Over 60 percent -- around 360,000 hectares or 890,000 acres -- of the West Bank is classified as Area C, where Israel has full control over security and also civilian affairs which are managed by the Civil Administration, a unit of the defense ministry.

UN figures show there are an estimated 298,000 Palestinians living in Area C, grouped into 532 residential areas.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=765335

[oberliner]

1. Only 4 percent of Palestinians in the West Bank live in Area C

This was true both before and after 1967.

The majority of Palestinians live in Area A which is completely under Palestinian jurisdiction (both security and civil).

[geek tragedy]

2. And the IDF is there to make sure the Palestinians remained cooped up in their

Bantustans rather than moving.

[oberliner]

3. Nothing to do with the IDF

These were the same population centers prior to 1967.

[geek tragedy]

4. Yes, frozen in time. The Palestinian population isn't allowed to expand

into Area C, but Israelis are.

Because Israel wants to annex that land without being honest about it.

A thief at least admits what he is.

[oberliner]

5. Well I certainly agree that Israelis should get out of Area C

I am just saying that most of the Palestinians in the West Bank don't live there.

In fact, it is a very very small percentage of the population.

[geek tragedy]

6. the point is not the percentage of the population that lives there.

It's that a very large percentage of the population is forbidden to move there.

This would be like forbidding Native Americans from living outside the reservations.