West Bank settlement building starts up 40%

Maaleh Adumim Photo: Reuters
Maaleh Adumim Photo: Reuters

In 2016, there were 2,630 building starts of homes in Judea and Samaria, up 40% from 1,884 in 2015, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports.

The major political bone of contention between Israel and the US in recent years has been construction in the West Bank. The Israeli government is now hoping the situation will improve following the election of US President Donald Trump.

However, even before Trump became President, and as Israel sets to mark 50 years of control over the West Bank, Central Bureau of Statistics figures show a significant rise in building starts in Judea and Samaria.

In 2016, there were 2,630 building starts of homes in Judea and Samaria, up 40% from 1,884 in 2015, and 1,572 in 2014, although below the 2013 peak of 2,874. In 2016, 5% of all building starts in Israel were in Judea and Samaria.

There are now 420,000 Jews living in Judea and Samaria, 4.8% of Israel's overall population. The largest cities are Modiin Illit (65,000), Beitar Illit (50,000), Maaleh Adumim (38,000), and Ariel (19,000).

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 3, 2017

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2017

Maaleh Adumim Photo: Reuters
Maaleh Adumim Photo: Reuters
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