A Factual Look at Arab Development in Jerusalem
Provided by the Government Press Office
Rapid Arab population growth in JerusalemSince the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, the Arab population of the city has grown
rapidly,
both in real and relative terms.
In 1967, there were 68,600 Arabs living in Jerusalem, whereas in 1995, there were
174,400, a
rise of 154%. By contrast, the Jewish population rose by 111%, from 197,700 in 1967 to
417,000 in
1995. The number of Arabs in Jerusalem has risen faster than the number of Jews in the
city.
In 1967, the city’s population consisted of 74.2% Jews and 25.8% Arabs. Currently, Jews
comprise 70.5% of the population, a drop of 3.7%.
Over the past 30 years, the Arab population of Jerusalem and its surroundings has increased
more rapidly than during any other period this century. When the city was under Jordanian
control, the
number of Arab residents substantially diminished.
Number of Arab apartments has more than doubledOver the past 30 years, the number of Arab-owned apartments in Jerusalem has risen
significantly.
In 1967, there were 12,200 Arab-owned apartments in eastern Jerusalem, whereas in 1995
there were 27,066 apartments, an increase of 15,000 or 122%. In the Jewish sector, there
were 57,500
apartments in 1967 and 122,780 in 1995, an increase of 113.5%.
Thus, the pace of development in the Arab sector has been higher than that of the Jewish
sector.
Arab construction throughout eastern JerusalemArab residents have been building widely throughout the neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem.
Between 1971 and 1994, the Jerusalem Municipality granted permits for 1.1 million square
meters of built area for residential purposes for Arab residents. Nearly half of all Arab
construction is
done without permits.
The distribution of Arab construction has been as follows: 40% in neighborhoods surrounding
the Old City (Issawiya, A-Tur, Silwan and Ras al-Amud); 30% in neighborhoods to the north of
the
Old City (Beit Hanina, Shuafat, Kafr Aqab and Semirmis); 20% in the southeastern part of the
city
(Arab A-Suahra, Sur Baher and Um Toba) and 10% in Beit Safafa in southern Jerusalem.
As a result, there are now contiguous areas of Arab housing between Jerusalem and Ramallah/
el-Bireh to the north, and Bethlehem to the south.
Over 3,000 new Arab housing units recently approvedThe building of homes for Jewish and Arab residents alike is essential for the continued
development of Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently stated, “We are as
committed
to the Arab residents of Jerusalem as we are to providing for the Jewish residents… We will
adapt the
building plans to the needs of both populations.â€
In line with this policy, Israel has approved construction plans for 3,015 housing units in 10
Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, concomitantly with the approval of the Har Homa housing
project.
