Reporters, pundits, activists. Before you echo the notion t…

Reporters, pundits, activists. Before you echo the notion that Palestinians are being "corralled into small, crowded enclaves", which is in vogue in some circles, here are some facts that you won't find in @btselem's new position paper. Read and decide for yourself.

Thread:

Israel works to "Judaize" the entire area, treating the land as a resource chiefly meant to benefit the Jewish population. Jewish communities are established and developed, while Palestinians are dispossessed and corralled into small, crowded enclaves.https://t.co/DFU922lNvC pic.twitter.com/d36H8OVgdD
— B'Tselem \u05d1\u05e6\u05dc\u05dd \u0628\u062a\u0633\u064a\u0644\u0645 (@btselem) January 14, 2021

Starting with the West Bank, specifically Area C from which allegedly Palestinians are being systematically pushed into the enclaves of Areas A and B, and replaced by Jewish settlers. If so, we should've seen the demographic balance in Area C shift in the Jews' favor. Has it? /2

Well, there's no evidence for that, certainly none in the paper. Latest UN estimate is ~ 300k Palestinians in Area C in 2013, probably >3 times their number in 1995 when the area was delineated. Jewish population growth in the same area & period was slower or similar at 2.6%./3

While good population stats for Area C are unavailable, there are construction surveys based on aerial photos. Do they support Btselem's claim? Quite the contrary. At least one shows that in recent yrs the total Palestinian residential area expanded more than the Jewish one./4

The same analysis by @RegavimIsrael found that the number of Palestinian structures in Area C increased by 28,600 during 2009-2019, nearly doubling in one decade, far more than the 18,600 built in Jewish settlements in that period, according to official statistics. /5

These figures, presented at the Knesset last year, were not contested by Israeli authorities or anti-settlment NGOs like @peacenowisrael, probably because, like anyone living or working in the area for years, all of them know they accurately reflect the trends on the ground. /6

So, since Area C came into being, the overall Palestinian population in it has not contracted but actually grew and expanded, and, in the past decade, did so faster than the Jewish population. That's pretty lousy corralling. Is the picture different in East Jerusalem? /7

Fortunately, there's good data on demographic trends in Jerusalem, which leaves no doubt that its Palestinian population has been growing faster than the Jewish, particularly in EJ. In the city as a whole, the Jewish/Arab ratio of 74/26 in 1967 changed by 2017 to 62/38./8

East Jerusalem's Jewish population, which in 1948 was completely cleansed, saw a sharp rise beginning with the city's unification until the mid-90s, but then the trend was reversed and the Palestinian population began growing faster than the Jewish one. How much faster? /9

Here are figures for the last decade, published by @JLM_Institute. During 2008-2018 EJ's Palestinian population grew by 31% (263,323➡️344,920), while its Jewish population grew by 15% (190,112➡️218,450), half the rate. Not quite how you'd imagine systematic "judaization"./10

One can argue that regardless of their growing number, the space available for Palestinians in EJ is diminishing. Certainly not in absolute terms. Since 2009 the city's planning is done according to the "Jerusalem 2000" master plan which increased the areas.../11

...designated for the Palestinian residents compared to previous plans. The belated planning of new residential zones is slow for many reasons, mainly lack of land registration. Recent attempts to resolve the issue failed to overcome public distrust./12
https://t.co/9ofMvsPCUt

Meanwhile, Palestinians are moving into EJ's "Jewish settlements" in growing numbers, surpassing Jews moving into Arab areas. Rather than seperating, the two populations are mixing and the city is becoming more and more integrated. /13
https://t.co/xoDuUnOWot

According to the available data, by 2018 about 6000 Palestinians were living in the Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, about twice more than Jews in Palestinian ones. Yet in a web page linked from the report, Btselem insists that Israel is "working systematically../14

..to drive Palestinians out" of EJ. If it were, it's clearly failing, but it would also make the unprecedented 2 bil NIS 5-year plan for the Palestinian residents of EJ, launched in 2018, an odd move. Unsurprisingly, Btselem don't mention it anywhere./15
https://t.co/7CQ7t7k4k8

On both Area C and EJ it's the same method of deception: describing Israeli policies & demographic trends from 3, 4 and 5 decades ago as if they were today's reality, and ignoring significant changes they underwent, especially any remedial efforts, which don't fit the story./16

To be clear, there's plenty to criticize in Israeli policies in both areas. Many Israelis, from left and right, advocate for approving more plans for Palestinians in Area C. Criticism of policies in EJ has been abundant, also in court rulings and State Comptroller reports./17

But spreading the vicious lie that from the River to the Sea Jews are currently forcing Palestinians into ghettos to create a racially pure area is not merely "criticizing Israel". It's something entirely different, which is nasty and dangerous. Please don't take part in it. /18

Btselem's paper applies the "crowding Palestinians in enclaves" tale also to present policies throughout Israel, using such egregious manipulations that will require a seperate thread to expose. If you found the info here useful, RT and watch this space for more. very soon. /end