Data shows Palestinians will outnumber Jews in Middle East in 2 years

World Today

A recent report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics indicates the population of Palestinians will outnumber Jews in Israel, the Occupied West Bank, and Gaza within the next two years, creating a potential dilemma for supporters of a one-state solution.

CCTV’s Noor Harazeen reports from Gaza.

The population survey predicts Palestinians could outnumber Israeli Jews by 2017, which if accurate, could have historic implications for the Middle East.

The Bureau of Statistics said at the current rate, the Jewish population living in Israel, the Occupied West Bank, and Gaza will be surpassed by the number of Palestinians in Palestine, raising concerns about an ethnic minority ruling over a majority.

Fertility rates in the Palestinian territories have been growing in recent years. The population of the Gaza Strip was 1.7 million at the beginning of 2013 and now it’s nearly two million.

The Gaza Strip has one of the highest population densities in the region. According to the report, there are some 5,000 people per square kilometer. Palestinians believe large and extended families are important. The average household size in a typical Gazan family ranges from four to 10 children.


Israel responds to new census report on Palestinian majority

Israeli analysts refute that prediction by the Palestinian Census Bureau that Israel’s Jewish population will be in the minority by year’s end.

CCTV’s Stephanie Freid reports from Jerusalem.

Israel-based studies say the numbers are inflated. Even grossly so. These studies cite Israel’s two percent population growth rate in 2015, high birthrates in the ultra-orthodox community, and an influx of tens of thousands of French Jews emigrating to Israel to escape perceived threats in France.

But demographers disagree with the criticisms.

“The Jewish population in Israel has the highest rate of growth of any developed country in the world. But the Palestinian side has an even higher rate of population,” Demographics Expert Sergio Della Pergola of Hebrew University said. “Their rate of growth is still significantly faster than that of the Jewish population in Israel and therefore the proportion between Jews and Palestinians is changing year by year and it shows a growth in the proportion of Palestinians.”

The biggest implication of such as demographics shift could mean that while Israel– as it continues to occupy the Palestinian West Bank — might be forced to choose between being Jewish or democratic.