Obligatory Demographic Transformation In Palestine

Dr. Youssof Kamel Ibrahim

(former) chief of Geography Section _ AL AQSA University

Gaza governorates _ Palestine

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•   Beginnings of Geographical and Demographic change.

•   Huge Opposite Migration.

•   Features Of Demographic And Geographic Change.

•   A Future Demographic Reading.

•   Conclusions and Recommendations.

Preface:

The struggle between the Israeli entity and the Palestinian nation has never been an ordinary one but has rather taken serious dimensions represented by the “struggle over the land” and seizure there of from its original owners, and domination of this land by all ways and means. With the early emergence of this struggle –early years of the twentieth century- when the Jews managed to arrive at Palestine under facilitations –given to them- by the British Mandatory Government, which offered them several various aids and military training for acquisition and domination of much of the Palestinian territories.

Jews could not declare their state until an abundant number of emigrants had arrived at Palestine. Thus the struggle started to appear over the land, and at the end took the demographic form, where the Jews’ state encouraged immigration to Palestine, offering privileges and facilities to those immigrants.

Accordingly, the intrinsic nature of the Arab-Israeli struggle –which took place on the Palestinian land since emergence of the Zionist Movement during the second half of the Twentieth Century- proved to be demographic, aiming at acquisition of the Palestinian home country, and evacuation thereof from Arab existence, in favor of the Zionist existence. On the other side, the objective was identified, being preservation of the Palestinian people’s Arab demographic existence with all its political, ideological, cultural, social, economical and psychological existential constituents. Consequently, the struggle parties started to adopt plans and programs in addition to economical and social policies so as to achieve the goals sought after by all. The Israeli party tries to terminate the demographic battle to its advantage by encouraging immigration to Palestine, and by encouraging families to increase the number of their members, and by granting numerous aids, donations and bestowals to these families. The following table shows the size of Jewish immigration to Palestine before declaration of the Zionist entity estate.

Table No(1) clarifies Jewish Immigration to Palestine between 1882 and 1966

References: Mousa Samha –Demographic Changes in Palestine. A study of Population Growth and Demographic Struggle- From the book [Demographic Characteristics of the Palestinian People].Issued by: Dar Al Nidal for printing, publishing and distribution.

Beirut – P.O.Box 389

On the Palestinian side, military resistance emerged to stop the Jews’ March and domination of the Palestinian land, and to spread cultural and social consciousness among members of the Palestinian people, urging them to resist and withstand the Zionist oppression in domination of the Palestinian territories. When Balfor's declaration was issued in 1917, it placed Palestine under British mandate from 1918 until 1948, where necessary facilitations for erection of a national homeland for Jews in Palestine were granted, and Jews started to flow in thousands, where their number rose from about ten thousand persons in the middle of the nineteenth century to about 62.5 thousand persons on commencement of the British Mandate, and to about six hundred fifty thousand persons at the end of the said mandate in 1948, and hence the ratio of Jews compared to the total population in Palestine mounted from 8.3% in 1919 to 31.5% in July 1948.

v      Beginnings of Geographical and Demographic change:

The first estimate for Palestine population was in the twentieth Century, during the Ottoman rule, where it was declared in 1914 –in the year of erupting the first world war - that the population of Palestine is 689,275 persons, 8% of which were Jews. After Palestine was subjected to British mandatory, the population of Palestine –according to official estimations- was 673,000 persons with 521000 Moslems, 67000 Jews, 78000 Christians and 7000 from other different sects.⁽¹⁾

Resulting from Palestine catastrophe and announcement of establishment of the Jews’ state, the major part of the Arab original inhabitants fled, leaving their homes and belongings to save their lives, due to the brutality followed by the Zionist enemy in his occupation to Palestine villages. As a result of this catastrophe Palestine was divided into three geographical areas (regions).

1.                          1948 territories, which occupied by the Jews after 1948 war, where they established their estate, occupying 76.7% of the total area of Palestine.

2.                          The West Bank, occupying 22% of the area of Palestine.

3.                          Gaza Strip, occupying 1.3% of the area of Palestine.

The Zionist enemy was not satisfied to keep the area of his estate limited to 1948 territories, and so attacked the West Bank and Gaza territories in 1967 and occupied them, and as such all Palestine became under Jewish control. Following this new aggression, many of the West Bank and Gaza strip inhabitants expatriated. Population in the West Bank decreased to 581700 persons, while Gaza strip population decreased to 937600 persons though their number –directly before the year 1967- was about one million and forty thousand persons.⁽²⁾

All evidences and indications show that the Zionist enemy is trying hard to offend and compel the Palestinian people to leave their land, hoping and greedily coveting to attain land with no inhabitants, in implementation of what he had longed for and in persistence of the demographic struggle theory. This could be clearly noted through their daily practices such as: withdrawal of identities from Palestinian people members, domination of their lands, expulsion thereof from their land, extraction of fruitful trees and erection of settlements on confiscated land. The last of these practices was erection of the Separating Wall which swallowed up thousands of square meters and dislodged thousands of Palestinians from their villages.

Concentration on Jerusalem:

Consecutive Israeli governments –since Jerusalem occupation in 1967- are implementing policies that aim at augmenting Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem, by creating a Jewish majority in the city.

Israel’s declared goal was preservation of what it names “Demographic Equilibrium in Jerusalem,” which in its nature means preservation of everlasting Jewish majority in Jerusalem. To achieve this goal Israel has –for several years- been trying to increase the numbers of Jews in Eastern Jerusalem on the one hand, and to push Eastern Jerusalem Palestinian inhabitants –on the other hand- to leave the city. To achieve this, Israel followed the following means:

o              Organized discrimination directed against Eastern Jerusalem Palestinian inhabitants, relating to confiscation of their land, pretending planning and construction on organized legal basis. Opposite to this, we find wide range construction operations and huge investment for purpose of erection of Jewish residential districts in Eastern Jerusalem. Perhaps, the most recent of which are Ras Al Amoud and Jabal Abou Ghoneim. The result of this policy is a big and intense shortage that could reach thousands of apartments among Palestinian inhabitants. As there is no other alternatives, Palestinian nationals will be forced to leave the city, trying to find other solution for living, outside the borders of Jerusalem City.⁽³⁾

o              Allocation of minimum investments in the field of infrastructures and services. Mayor “Ehod Olmert” declared that “The basic problem which Jerusalem suffers from is the deep gap in infrastructures between east and west Jerusalem.”

The condition of infrastructures in most quarters of East Jerusalem is bad, and over the last thirty years the governments of Israel have exerted very little and inadequate efforts in this domain.

o                          Rejection of all “Family Reunification” applications submitted by Palestinian ladies living in Jerusalem, for their husbands who have not resided with them in Jerusalem since 1949. The consequence of this is that most of those ladies –to live with their husbands- are forced to leave the city. Israel’s wish to impose its wide domination on the city and to substantiate its sovereignty over all the city parts is still existing and stoking more than it had ever been, due to the approaching date of the “Final Stage negotiations”, in which the subject of Jerusalem is to be discussed. For example and not for limitation, after publishing of the annual report of “Jerusalem Institute” (machon Euroshalaim) for the year 1997, the mayor “Ehod Olmert” declared that “This report includes things we do not like such as the natural increment of non-Jewish population in the city”.⁽⁴⁾

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Israeli Ministry of the Interior’s Procedures Against Palestinians in Jerusalem for Expelling Them Therefrom:

Since the month of December 1995 the Home Office has been trying to implement –in Eastern Jerusalem- Israel’s general policy, which aims at limitation of the numbers of Palestinians living in the city. The ministry adopts several steps within the scope of execution of this policy. Some of these steps are:

o                          Spoilage of “Right of Citizenship” from Jerusalem inhabitants who had lived for several years outside the city borders. As a result of this, the Home Office requested thousands of Palestinians living in Eastern Jerusalem to leave their homes.

o                          Cancellation of “Right of Citizenship” without giving the Palestinian who has been ripped-off this right a chance to appeal, and even if he had been given this right it would only be formal.

o                          The Ministry recurrently requests Palestinians living in Eastern Jerusalem to present to its employees proofs that they are still living in the city, but to get the required proof is a very difficult matter because persons who had lived their whole life in Eastern Jerusalem find it difficult to prove this. Furthermore, such documents are required from a citizen even if he had recently submitted them to the Ministry but with another application.

o                          Refuse registration of a child born to two parents one of whom is a Palestinian living in Eastern Jerusalem in the “Births Register”. Also refuse to issue him a “National Number”, even if the Ministry had previously admitted that this family is residing in Jerusalem.

o                          Full abstention to accept applications relating to “Family Reunification”. As a result, Palestinian inhabitants in the city are unable to increase except within the natural increasing limits. The only means –now- for accepting “Family Reunification” applications is to institute legal proceedings to the Israeli Higher Court of Justice.

Some of the abusive procedures implemented by the “Israeli Home Office” against Palestinian inhabitants of Jerusalem to force them to leave the city are as follows:⁽⁵⁾

First – Cancellation of the “Right of Citizenship”:

Implementation of the Home Office –as from the month of December 1995- a new policy which stipulates that any Palestinian of Eastern Jerusalem inhabitants who fails to prove –in front of the Home Office- that he is currently living in Jerusalem –even if he had previously lived therein in a continual form- could lose, and forever, his right to live in the city where he was born, and thus becomes obliged to leave his home, and consequently become unable to live in Jerusalem which lies under Israeli domination without special visas and approvals. He is also unable to work within The Palestinian territories that follow the Israeli occupant, including Jerusalem. He is –Further more- deprived of his social rights guaranteed to him through payment of his due taxes, such as benefiting from social insurance services and others.

It is worth saying that "Cancellation of Citizenship" of Jerusalem Palestinians is a result of changes in the Israeli governments' policies in light of the developments of the final status peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

It is evident now that the city inhabitants who move to live in Palestinian territories will be treated as if they have moved to live in another country side in Israel. Their right of citizen ship could be invalidated, contrary to what used to happen in the past, where that had no consequences on this right, whence the seven years count used to restart after each visit to Jerusalem and renewal of the exit permission. But in light of the new policies, renewal of the exit permission does not interrupt the count and does not reserve the "citizenship right"⁶

Second: The Right to Appeal

In June 1977 The Israeli home office declared that any citizen has the right to appeal against citizenship cancellation decision and to submit the home office documents that contradict the result it had reached. The Home office continuously and always pretends that the right to appeal is guaranteed to Palestinians of eastern Jerusalem whose right of citizenship had been invalidated. The truth is that this statement lacks the objective basis.

Until amid 1977, the Home office officials used to send letters to eastern Jerusalem Palestinians whose right of citizenship was invalidated to inform them that they and their family members have to leave the country within fifteen days. The home office refused to provide for these Palestinians any place where they could appeal at, claiming that the right of citizenship has been automatically invalidated and hence, the official who had informed them thereby has no right to interfere in this matter.

Third: Proof of " Center of Life" ( Center of Living)

Article Eleven –c- of the law for entrance to Israel stipulates that "validity of permanent residence permission is cancelled if the owner of the permission leaves Israel and lives abroad". Article Eleven –a- states that "in view of the law a person is considered to have lived in a country outside Israel if he stays outside Israel for a period of at least seven years or if he obtains permanent residence permission in or the nationality of anther country.

The Home office requires from Palestinians living in eastern Jerusalem who approach it to submit any applications what so ever to prove that the "Center of life" (Center of living) has not changed, and that they are still living in the city. Realization of the proofs required by the home office is a very difficult matter, because even those persons who live their whole lives in Jerusalem will find it difficult to get such proofs. Among the things required by the Home office is approval from employment party, receipts that prove payment of real estate tax, water payment receipts as from date of marriage and house lease contract and others. In case one is living in his parents' house and has got no lease contract, then he would have to submit a written attestation signed by a lawyer stating that he is living there⁷.

In light of this bitter state of demographic struggle and struggle over the land, the thing which reflected presence of two contradictory forms of immigration, the Palestinian people is forced to immigrate from his land in the west bank and Gaza strip, while we see a Jewish immigration from all parts of the world to Palestine. Nevertheless, this picture –in the last five years- started to take more violent form of struggle, where the Jews intensified operations of land domination in the West Bank, and started to expand their settlements at the same time the Palestinian people started to recover its health through stability and security.

The Palestinian groups of people started to return to Palestine from abroad and number of returnees, investors and Palestinian forces started to return to Palestine (The West Bank and Gaza Strip). To understand the demographic changes picture, and the effect of immigration there on, we see that the gross total of population in Palestine amounted to 5.6 millions in 1986, out of which 3.5 million Jews with a percentage of 63% of the gross total, while the rest were Palestinians rating to 37% of the gross total, 26% of them live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, compared to 34% the June 1967 relapse and 53% directly after the 1948 catastrophe⁸.

With the arrival of the year 1988(the year in which the results of the Palestinian census carried out for the first time by Palestinian hands were declared) the gross total of the population amounted to 8.09 millions, 5.50 millions of them are from the Zionist usurper estate, i.e. 67.9%, while the rest were Palestinians, i.e. 32.1% of the gross total. Out of these 1.596442 persons living in the west bank and 1.000.175 persons in Gaza Strip⁹.

In Gaza Strip –during the last seven years- Israel was able to maintain the demographic balance in its favor despite the rise in the population growth on the Palestinian side. This is attributed to the immigrant waves – during those years- especially after winding –up of the Social Community and breaking –up of the Soviet Union, the thing which the Jews exploited to expatriate great numbers of them to Israel estate. Yet, things started to turn over, especially after emergence of opposite immigration, after origination of Al-Aqsa intifada.

On the first day of the year 2004, the Palestinian central census board issued a new statistic in Ramallah, showing that the number of Palestinians inside historical Palestine will be equal to that of the Zionists' by the end of 2006. In accordance with the new statistic the number of Palestinians will rise in 2010 to be 6.2 millions opposite to 5.7 million Jews.

The statistic was distributed today in Ramllah under the heading " Number of Palestinians at the End of 2003", and based its data on several data sources such as field surveys, countings, international authorities reports, private centers and establishments dealing with Palestinian affairs in the world, and in addition to some international organizations dealing with refugees affairs worldwide.

The statistic pointed out that the estimated number of Palestinians all over the world at the end of 2003 amounted to 9.7 million Palestinians , with 3.7 millions in Palestinian territories, 2.3 millions in the west bank (63.3%) and 1.4 millions (36.7%) in Gaza Strip, about one million Palestinians in Palestine occupied in 1948, 2.8 millions in Jordan, 463 thousands in Syria , 415 thousands in Lebanon and 62 thousands in Egypt, while the number of Palestinians in the all the other Arab countries amounted to 595 thousands. As for the United States of America, their number amounted to 236 thousands, while the estimated number of Palestinians in the other foreign countries amounted to 301 thousands.

As for distribution  of Palestinian population according to governorates in the Palestinian territories, the data shows that Al-Khalil governorate acquired the highest population rate as it amounted to 19% of the total population in the Palestinian territories, followed by Gaza which acquired about 13% , while the population rate in Jerusalem governorate was 10.8%, and Rafah governorate was 4.4%.

The data shows –as well- that Jericho governorate recorded the lowest population rate at the end of 2003, where it amounted to 1.1% of the total population in the Palestinian territories.

Estimations of the Palestinian Census Central Board indicate that the Palestinian population in historical Palestine amounted to 4.6 million persons at the end of the year 2002, while the number of Jews amounted to 5.1 millions as per the Israeli Census Department.

According to estimations, the number of Palestinians will be 5.1 millions by mid 2005 opposite to 5.3 million Jews, and in 2006 the Palestinian and Jewish population will be equal, while in mid of the year 2010 the number of Palestinians will rise to 6.2 millions against 5.7 million Jews. The rate of Jewish Population will become only 44% of the total population by the middle of 2020, where their number will be 6.4 millions opposite to 8.2 million Palestinians.

The report contains –as well- the most important demographic characteristics of the Palestinian population living on the Palestinian territories and in some Arab countries (such as Jordan, Syria and Lebanon) and Palestinians in the 1948 territories.

Palestinians in the Palestinian Territories:

Available data on Palestinians living in Palestinian territories at the end of 2003 show that 42.6% of the Palestinian inhabitants are refugees, and the percentage of those, less than 15 years old, is 46.0%, while the percentage of those above 65 years is 3.1%. The Medium age of the inhabitants was 16.7 years. On the other hand the overall fertility rate in the Palestinian territories in the year 1999 was 5.9 newborns for each woman, while raw natality was 39.2 newborns for each 1000 inhabitants. As for the expected life average (life expectancy) it was 70.7 for males and 73.8 for females in 2003.

Palestinians in Jordan:

Available data on Palestinians living in Jordan in the year 1996 show that it is a youthful society, where the percentage of those below fifteen was 42.5%, while those of 65 or above rated 3.0%. The data also showed that the average Palestinian family members was 6.2 members for the year 1999, while the percentage of refugee camps inhabitants registered by the UNRWA was 87%, and neonatals death rate was 24.9 death cases per each thousand living newborns in 1998. Death rate for children below five was 27.4 death cases per each thousand living newborns for the same period. On the other hand, the overall fertility rate in the year 1999 was 4.6 newborns for each woman.

Palestinians in Syria:

Available data on Palestinians living in Syria in the year 2002 show that the percentage of children below fifteen was 36.7%, while those of 65 or above rated to 3.9%. The data also showed that the average Palestinian family members was 5.5 members, while the percentage of refugee camps inhabitants, registered with the UNRWA was 95.6%. During the period (1996-2000), the neonatals mortality average for Palestinians living in Syria was 23.5 death cases for every one thousand living members, while the death rate for children below five was 26.5 death cases for every thousand living newborns in the same period. On the other hand the overall fertility in the year 2001, for Palestinians living in Syria was 3.5 newborns for every woman, while raw natality was 28.3 newborns per 1000 inhabitants.

Palestinians in Lebanon:

Available data on Palestinians living in Lebanon in the year 2000 show that the percentage of individuals below fifteen was 36.4%, whereas the percentage of those of 65 or more was 4.4%.The data also indicated that the average members of a Palestinian family was 5.1 members , while the percentage of refugee- camps inhabitants, registered at the UNRWA was 97.5% . The neonatality mortality in the year 2000, for Palestinians in Lebanon was 38 death cases per each one thousand live newborns, whereas mortality of children below five was 48.5 death cases per on thousand live newborns for the same period. On the other hand the overall fertility was 3.5 newborns per one woman, while raw natality rate reached 29.3 newborns per thousand inhabitants.

Palestinians in the 1948 occupied territories:

Available data on Palestinians living in the 1948 occupied territories for the year 2002 show that it is a youthful society, where the percentage of children below fifteen was 41.5%, while the percentage of individuals of 65 years or above reached 3.2%. The data showed that the average number of members of a Palestinian family was 5.1 members, while the neonatal mortality rate in the year 2002, for Palestinians in Israel was 8.6 death cases per thousand live newborns. On the other hand, the overall fertility rate was 4.6 newborns per woman in the year 2002, while raw natal average reached 32.9 newborns per one thousand inhabitant¹⁰.

v      Huge Opposite Migration

Israeli informational sources revealed that Sharon had lately received from " Tsevi Levni"- minister of immigrants inclusion- information reporting about the Zionist entity's retraction from being the first target for Jewish immigration, where this information stated that eighteen thousand Jews of the former Soviet Union chose migration to Germany in the year 2002, while only seventeen thousand Jews chose migration to the Zionist entity.

This clearly shows the entity's retractive standing from being the first target for Jew's migration. Opposite to this, the natural growth rate of the 1948 Palestinians, West Bank Palestinians and the Gaza Strip Palestinians increased, while the Jewish inhabitants' natural growth rate decreased and Jewish migration rate- which forms the counter force to the increasing Palestinian population growth- had retreated. All this makes the demographic balance pan tilt in favor of the Palestinians, the thing which forced Sharon to hold a secret meeting –three weeks ago- to discuss the Jewish growth decrease, emigration retraction and to establish a plan for raising the Zionist population to fifteen million Jews so as to face the Palestinian population increase inside and outside the entity.

Facing this, as increase is noted in the opposite migration, where the latest data issued by the Zionist central census center in Herzliya of the Hebraic entity (relating to average travel of Jews during the current summer season, to the united states and some European countries) stated that it has reached one and a half millions during the last two summer months of July and August only.

Western security sources stated that the deterioration of security conditions within the Palestinian territories and inside the "entity", following Al-Aqsa intifada and the successive resistive attacks forced huge numbers of Zionists to try to migrate from the entity to European countries and to North America.

The London news paper "The Independent" stated that the continual "Al-Aqsa Intifada" led to an emigrational wave from Israel and Palestinian authority territories.

On the other hand, some official Zionist reports revealed that about 700000 to 1000000 Jews left Israel for good ( opposite emigration) because they felt lack of security after Al-Aqsa Intifada and the martyrdom operation carried out by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa brigades. Furthermore its was officially announced that the number of Jewish emigrants to the Zionist entity is seriously and acutely decreasing. This is attributable to reluctancy of great numbers of the world Jews to migrate to Palestine because of their fear of death. Many executives of the Inclusion Ministry and the Jewish Agency –the two parties responsible for inclusion of emigrants- expect a progressive drop in the number of emigrants arriving at the Hebraic estate due to continual manifestations of Al Aqsa Intifada.

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Emigration From Settlements:

Zionist newspapers confirmed that the deteriorating security status, the Intifada and the bad economical situation pushed the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jordan Sink settlers to evacuate settlements and move to the inside of the entity, when on the other hand the Zionist Ministry of War stated that tens of settlement points are completely empty of inhabitants, and that the Zionist Army members are situated in those areas that are empty of inhabitants to protect properties.

On basis of these facts, the Intifada –in its third year- has proved that the prosperity era, furnished by Oslo Agreement, for growth of the Zionist settlement and expansion project has started to fade, where the basic concern of settlers is looking for provision of personal security for themselves, leaving behind their backs the ideology and the category which says “Settlements every where on the Land of Israel”.

In this respect, Israeli statistics show a decrease in the number of settlers reaching more than 75%, in addition to a drop in selling residential units inside settlements up to 50%, the thing which clearly denotes the disability of Sharon and his security systems to provide security for the Zionist society and settlers thereof.

The number of emigrants to the entity –has as well- evidently decreased during the last two years: Where as during the first half of the year 2001 about 24,000 settlers compared to 32,000 for the same period of the year 2000, nothing that the number had reached 37,000 settlers during the same period of the year 1999. these reports has started to disturb official circles in the occupational estate, where Maariv newspaper published –on its website- in the Arabic language an article under the title of “Jewish Majority Is Not Definitive Any More.”

The report also confirmed what the Palestinian Statistic had announced, that is, the data published by the Palestinian Census Department, and another, published by the Central Census Department in Israel, both indicate that the Jewish crowd living between Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea will soon change to a minority, because the number of Jews living between Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea amounts today to 5.4 million persons, while the number of Non Jews amounts to 5.2 millions persons.

According to that data published by the Palestinian Census Department, on the occasion of the New year, there lives in the West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem 2.3 million Palestinians and in Gaza Strip 1.4 million persons. The number of Arabs in Israel gets to approximately one million persons and as such, the total amounts to 4.7 million Palestinians. If we add to them about 250,000 Christians and Druses and 250,000 foreign laborers living in Israel as well, the number of non Jews in Israel would become 5.2 million persons.

75% of Galileo Inhabitants Are Arabs

In according with the Palestinian Census Department estimations, the Jews will become –within ten years- a minority between the sea and Jordan River.

In the opinion of professor Arnon Sofeer –the Geographic and demographic expert of Haifa University- the Jews do not form a majority, not even today, because about 300,000 of the new comers from the former Soviet Union countries are not Jews, and are being entered under the entry “Jews and others” in the Israeli Central Census Department reports only. Birth data contribute to creation of a non Jewish majority between Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, where as in each year 160,000 Palestinian children are born compared to about 90,000 Jews.

Professor “Sofeer” also forewarns that “We are passing a demographic collapse, where as the demographic chart of Jerusalem, Al Naqab and Galileo indicates destruction.” In Al Naqab lives 140,000 Bedouins, whose annual natural growth rate –which is considered the highest in the world- reaches 5%. As for Al Jalil, the percentage of Arabs to the total population reaches 75%. Sofeer says: “There is an Arabian stretch between Galileo and Jenin, while the young Jewish generation is leaving Galileo to Tel Aviv and New York, and this is an indication of demographic destruction”.

47% of The Palestinians in The West Bank and Gaza Strip are Children

The Palestinian Census Department reveals that the number of Palestinians in the world amounted to 9.7 million persons at the end of the year 2003. Palestinians in Jordan are considered the second largest Palestinian gathering where 2.8 million Palestinians live there. In Syria there lives 436,000 Palestinians and in Lebanon there lives 415,000 Palestinians while 62,000 Palestinians live in Egypt. The Palestinian community in America is considered the largest Palestinian community living outside the Arab countries, where it amounts to 236,000 persons. From the data, it is deducible that the youth generation percentage in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in very high where it amounts to 47% for children up to fourteen years and to 20% for adolescents between 15 and 24 years of age, while the percentage of those between 25 and 39 is amounts to 18%. The percentage of refugees in the Palestinian territories amounts to 39%, 64% of them live in Gaza Strip and the remaining 26% live in the West Bank. ⁽¹¹⁾

A Future Demographic Reading:

Despite the Zionist practices and the consequent Geographic and demographic impact there of, the Jewish existence –spreading over Historical Palestine- will not form a majority in the year 2006, if we take into consideration the 1948 Palestinians who live –as citizens- in Israel, though they are subject to racial discrimination in treatment and in services, yet their roots remain twisted towards their brothers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where Palestinians will become equal to the Jews. Within the coming years; it is expected that preeminence will be in favor of the Palestinians.

From what was said, it becomes clear that the enemy authorities are proceeding with the execution of their plan for preserving the demographic balance in their favor, the thing that requires implementation of their scheme, which aims at swallowing the land, dislodgement of our kinsfolk from Palestine and confining them within unlinked and non cohesive geographical sports and cantons, the thing that for tells and informs of a demographic outburst. Consequently, this study is made to tell about compulsory demographic changes that took place in Palestine.

Consequently, it becomes clear that the Arab-Israeli struggle, right from its beginning, has been a struggle over land and population. Occupation of as much as possible of Palestine’s land and colonization thereof by the greatest possible number of Jewish settlers, who arrived in consecutive waves of emigrants, was and still is the basic objective of, first, the Zionist Movement, and Later on of Israel. The most important gauge for monitoring the extent of Zionism’s success in its colonialistic project in Palestine is summarized by the percentage of land it had managed to occupy since the beginning of its activities, and by its capability stretch in attracting, including and settling Jewish emigrants in Palestine. Therefore, the two factors; the geographic (land) and demographic will have the final word in the struggle in which Zionism is engaged in Palestine. Israeli practices on the ground are represented by obligatory dislodgement of Palestinians from their cities and villages, extortion of land from its native owners and domination there of by all ways and means, whereas the Jews could not declare their estate except after having acquired the adequate number of emigrants to Palestine. From here, the struggle over the land stated to appear, taking at the end, the geographic and demographic form.

Studies and researches that deal with the Palestinian people’s demographic motion are considered of the most important ones due to the demographic state of affairs which was linked to the political facts in which the Palestinian people was subject to annihilation and dislodgment as a result of Jewish avidity in Palestine, which was basically concentrated on prompt attempts to establish a coercive Jewish existence there in. Accordingly, the social and demographic development of the Palestinian people witnessed unnatural tendencies, where the factor of Jewish emigration to Palestine and expulsion of Arabs –the original land owners- from their homeland had had a direct effect on those developments.

When Balfour’s pledge was issued, in 1917, Palestine was put under British mandatory from the year 1918 to the year 1948, during which period, all facilitations required for establishing a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine were offered, and Jews started to flow forth in thousands, raising their numbers from about ten thousand persons in the middle of the Nineteenth Century to about 62,500 persons at the beginning of British mandate and to about 650,000 persons at the end of British mandate in 1948. As such, the percentage of Jews compared to the total Population of Palestine increased from 8.3% in 1919 to 31.5% on May 15, 1948.

To understand the image of demographic changes and the effect of emigration there on, we perceive that the grand total of Population in Palestine (all religions) in the year 1986 amounted to 5.6 million persons, 3.5 millions of them, which represent 63% of the grand total, were Jews, while the remaining 37% of the grand total were Palestinians, 26% of them living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where as the rest, who represent 11% of the total number of Palestinians –living on Historical Palestine land⁽¹²⁾- live inside Israel estate.

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v      Features Of Demographic And Geographic Change:

 Palestine Inhabitants through History:-

Palestine was distinguished by being a constituent of the original homeland of our primogenitors, the descent of major celestial religions and beliefs, the cradle of old civilizations’ originations and a passage way for commercial movements and military expeditions throughout the different historical ages.

Its central location with respect to the world necessitated its being a connecting factor among the old world continents (Asia, America and Europe) and a spot whence it is easy to spread out to all neighboring areas. That is why it became a transit bridge for human groups from ancient times.⁽¹³⁾

Palestine had enjoyed a focal location, attracting all those who long for stability and comfort. This location has been a center of attraction for those coveting for domination thereof and utilization of its characteristics. ⁽¹⁴⁾

Palestine was known –in the ancient times- as the land of Kana’an, in ascription to the Arabian Tribes in the third century before Christ. The Kana’ans erected cities and villages whose names and features are still existent. They also left their imprints on tribes that arrived at Palestine afterwards such as Assyrians, Phoenicians and Hebrews.⁽¹⁵⁾

Afterwards, Palestine was exposed to many big groups of invasions, where the Romans captured Palestine in the year 70 driving the Jews out, leaving none of them. Then came Islam and Palestine was one of the first liberated countries where most of its inhabitants espoused the Islamic Religion. Inroads came successively and the occupiers were kicked out there from until the Ottoman Rule came to impose its domination on all Palestine, same as has happened to other countries that fell under the Ottoman Rule. Thereafter came the British rule and imposed mandate thereon. The British and Zionist interests cuddled and interlaced resulting in Belford’s Pledge in the year 1917 for establishment of a national homeland for the Jew in Palestine. From that date onward, the British authorities submitted to the Jews all facilities for establishing their home land, where it helped them to escape on British ships to Palestine and many of them joined the British army. The Jews started then to train themselves on weapons, to take hold of Palestinian villages and to set up the first adobes for the Jews’ estate on the Palestinian territories until the United Nations declared the partition (Isolation) Decision in 1947, which provided for dividing Palestine into two estates, one for the Jews and the other for Palestinians.

The Jews and Palestine before 1948:

Distinguishing between Jewish Settlement and the Zionist Colonialistic settling movement is dictated by analysis of various factors that permitted Jews’ emigration to Palestine, setting up of settlements and emergence of some kind of coexistence between them and the original Arab native inhabitants during the British mandatory period. This could be returned to several factors such as the history of good relations between Arabs and Jews which lacks oppression and fanaticism, non-presence of political objectives for the Jewish settlement in its early stage i.e. before the year 1897, being a part of the Jewish migratory movements that left East European countries and included various countries of the world.

The Jews had no relations with the Land of Palestine, other than traveling and roving, as there is no historical document which confirms that this land had ever been under Jewish ascendancy for long intervals, yet, there rather was continual incidents taking place on this land that are linked to the Jews. Based on the Torah, we find that the First Hebrews migrated to Kana’an Land and never settled in one place. ⁽¹⁶⁾

Population of Palestine before the Catastrophe:

Jewish infiltration to Palestine and efforts to purchase land started under capitulations protection, though the first initiations of Jews’ purchase of Land in Palestine were in the year 1855, on the hands of Sir Moshi Montifiori during the era of Sultan Abdul Majeed (1839-1861), where the Sultan issued an edict –lay force of which- Montifiori was allowed to purchase lands in Palestine, and so, he bought a piece of land near Jerusalem, where later on, the Jewish quarter known as Montifiori Quarter was erected. In the year 1870 the Israeli “Aliens Society” set up the settlement (Makfiot Israel) on a piece of land with an area of 26,000 Donum, [a measure of land equivalent to 1000sq.m.] leased from the Ottoman government for 99 years, in the name of the French Minister of Justice Kremo Shawlenrinter. This piece of land was part of Yazour village territory which is close to Jafa City. From 1870 to 1914 Jews owned 420,000 donoms bought from non-Arab Palestinians.

Due to the state of affairs as they were during the latter period of the Ottoman rule, Zionist organizations, emanating from the Zionist movement –such as the National Jewish Fund, the Jewish Bank for Settlements and Palestine Land Developing Company- tried hard to finance Jewish infiltration to Palestine via intensive expatriations. As for the Jewish migrational groups to Palestine from 1882 to 1948, Sir Moussa Montifiori mentions that the number of Jews who were living in Palestine on their first visit thereto in the year 1839 was about six thousand persons, most of whom were from Spanish origin, opposite to 300,000 Arabs, which means that the Jews did not exceed 2% of the total population of Palestine.⁽¹⁸⁾ As for Palestine population at the time of Ottoman occupation thereto, the available statistical data there of during the period (1542-1916) is little and scarce, because the Ottoman authorities’ interest in statistics was confined to enlistment purposes only, as it never used to tabulate or categorize gathered data nor did it publish this data. Never the less, the Ottoman authority carried out in 1914 a count of the population, which lasted several months and resulted in an estimate of the total Population of Palestine amounting to about 689,000 persons, though no detailed information about distributions there of or about their demographic characteristics was published. If we approve the figure 40,000 Jews as having been living in Palestine in the year 1914, then –based on what we have mentioned before in our study- the percentage of Jews compared to the total population of Palestine in the said year does not exceed 5.8% of the total population estimated by the Ottoman authorities. It is noted that the impulse of the Jewish emigration to Palestine was not big during the Ottoman rule era, particularly after the Zionist Movement start-off in a systemized and official manner, subsequent to Bal Conference at the end of July 1897, and hence, the Jewish infiltration did not have a qualitative effective impact on the directions of demographic growth in Palestine. But the British Mandatory era was very precious for the Zionist Movement to achieve and fulfill its strategic concepts in Palestine.

Due to occupations, invasions and political circumstances which Palestine had passed, it is not easy to know the exact numbers for population evolution in Palestine because with every change in regime, from one power to another or from one rule to another, all statistics and figures used to be destroyed. Any how, this does not mean non-availability of plenty estimates of Palestine inhabitants. We will start with the first population estimate carried out in Palestine in 1914. During the Ottoman rule Palestine population was estimated to be about 689,000 persons in 1914, 634000 of whom were Arabs and 55,000 were Jews, and thus, the percentage of Jews in that year was 8% of the total population. Yet, with the beginning of the British occupation, Jewish migration to Palestine to ascend, leading to an increase in the number of Jews where it reached 9% in 1920 and 10.6% in 1921 as shown in table (2), which clearly shows demographic evolution in Palestine from 1914 to 1948.

Table (2): Demographic Evolution in Palestine during the Period between 1914 and 1948:

Based on table No.(2) it is evident that the total population of Palestine amounted to 689,775 persons as per the Ottoman Government estimate, to which both Luke and Heith had referred, where 92% of the total population were Arabs while the Jews formed 8%, amounting to 55,142 (look table No.1). But, what these figures and numbers are blamed for is their being estimational and not official statistics, as no official census was carried out before the year 1922. According to this census the total population of Palestine was 757,182 persons, where the percentage of Arabs formed 89%, while the percentage of Jews exceeded what it was in 1914 and amounted to 11% of the total population, in other words it increased 3%. As for the 1931 census, the total population of Palestine was 1,035,821 persons where the percentage of Arab inhabitants decreased to 84% of the total population, while the Jews’ percentage rose to 16% of the total population. Yet, according to the estimates of the British government, to which Mustapha Murad Addabagh had referred in his volumes (Palestine… Our Homeland), the total population of Palestine amounted to 1,363,387 persons; out of which 69% were Arabs while the Jews formed 31% of this total population. As had been said earlier it is clear that the rate of increase in Palestine population was in favor of the Jews, while the percentage of Arabs witnessed a decrease. Never the less, in May 1948 Palestine population was estimated to be 2,065,000 persons out of whom 1,415,000 were Arabs and 650,000 where Jews. In other words, Arabs formed 68.5% of the total population, while the Jews formed 31.5% thereof. ⁽²⁵⁾

From what was said before, it is evident that Palestine population has increased –between 1922 and 1944- by 131.4%, where natural increase contributed with 63% of the total population, while net emigration contributed with 37% of the total increase. The demographic increase rate between 1922 and 1944 –with regards to religious sectors- was disproportional. Jews achieved the highest population increase rate (536.1%), while Christians achieved a population increase of 90% and Moslems did not achieve except 80%.⁽²⁶⁾

Al Na’amani Al Sayed –on basis of the data of the 1945 census carried out by the mandatory government, and on basis of the 1948 count of Jews in Israel- estimates that the Jews’ growth rate between these two dates reached 16.8% per annum, while the unnatural increase rate –by emigration- reached 95.2%. This explains how important was the role which the Jewish emigration played in building-up the society.⁽²⁷⁾

Table No.(3) shows the number of Moslems, Christians and Jews in Palestine in the two years 1922 and 1944.

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Table No.(3)- Numbers of Moslems, Christians and Jews in Palestine between 1922 and 1944:

 (Reference: Hassan Abdul Kader Saleh) previous ref. p22

From the aforesaid, it is clear that the ordinal sequence of the population increase rate of Jews, Christians and Moslems conformed with that of the net emigration contribution was 74% for the Jews, 29% for the Christians, while it contributed 4% of the numeral increase of Moslems. Contrary to that, was the natural increase contribution rate which was 96% for Moslems, 71% for Christians and 26% for Jews. [Look Table No. (2)]. Table No. (3) illustrates time evolution of Palestine population relating to religions from the year 1922 to the year 1948.

Table No. (4)- Time Evolution of Palestine Population as per religion from 1922 to 1948

(Reference: A Group of Palestinian Researchers in the Arab World – Arab Researches and Studies Institute – Cairo 1978 – p.50)

The picture of Palestinian demographic change and the considerable increase in Jews’ percentage –which amounted to 11.1% in the year 1922, after having been 8.3% in the year 1919- could be clearly noted from the previous table. This percentage kept ascending till it reached 31.6% in the year 1945, where the number of Jews amounted to 598,227 persons on Palestine land. As for Moslems’ percentage, it decreased from 78.4% in the year 1922 to 60% in 1945.

Through what proceeded, the picture of the Palestinian demographic state of affairs, and the extent of evolution that befell the demographic groups, could be clearly seen. The Palestinians represented a percentage of 88.8% of the total population of Palestine in the year 1922, where as the Jews’ percentage got only to 11.2% of the total population. The Palestinians’ percentage remained in continuous decrease till it reached –on the eve of declaration of the Zionist usurpation estate- 69.8% of the total population. The Jews percentage ascended to 30.2% of the total population in the same year. The remarkable increase in the Jews’ percentage is referred to the expatriate waves which concentrated during the years that proceeded declaration of the Jews’ estate on the Palestine Land.

Factors and Constituents of Demographic Growth in Palestine during period 1882 to 1948:

A studies of the factors of population evolution in Palestine during the period 1922-1948, which is the era of British mandatory of Palestine –where it had promised the Jews to set-up a national homeland for them on the Palestinian land- it would be clear for such a studier that Jews’ superiority over Arabs, concerning demographic increase rates is by aid of the British mandatory authority, which opened the doors of Palestine widely for Jewish migrations, arriving from abroad, where the flow of Jews to Palestine contributed and lead to disorder in the scale of demographic increase, in favor of the Jews.

The number of Jews existent in Palestine in the year 1882 was estimated to be about 24,000 Jews, most of whom were clergymen and the Jewish Arab minority who did not leave Nablus, which was known as Samaria. The book cites estimates of the Jews’ numbers throughout various historical Christian era, after destruction of the Third Altar. These numbers range between one and two thousands. Jewish emigration groups started to enter Palestine as a result of the Zionist movement, where the first wave was between the year 1882 and 1903 and carried between twenty to thirty thousand Jews. Then between 1904 and 1914 thirty to forty thousand Jews arrived to the country. This migration formed only 3% of the total number of emigrant Jews who left East Europe between the years 1882 and 1914. ⁽²⁸⁾ The following table explains Jewish migration waves to Palestine before emergence of the Jewish estate.⁽²⁹⁾

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Table No.(5): Jewish Migration Waves to Palestine Before Emergence of The Jewish Estate

From the pervious table the impact of Jewish migration role to Palestine, in changing the demographic balance to the Jews’ favor becomes evident, where migration groups started in 1880. The number of Jews emigrants to Palestine, in the first Wave, between 1880 and 1903 amounted to Approximately 25000 Jewish emigrants. It is worth mentioning that the Jews' life in Palestine, during the period reflected gloomy shades because none but aged Jews went thereto, wishing to spend their last days in Jerusalem. The best description of that life of theirs is the statement of the American consul in Jerusalem in the year 1878, where he says: "and the Jews of Jerusalem in particular are poor and lazy, they have poor minds and bodies. It seems that Jerusalem is a station where deformed fanatic and geol Jews meet to live here on charity and beggary and to spend the remainder of their lives weeping in front of the Wailing Wall"³⁰.

The number of emigrant Jews to Palestine rose to reach 34000 emigrants during the period 1904-1914. The period preceding declaration of the estate 1932-1939 witnessed the largest migration wave to Palestine, [table no.2], where more than 224000 emigrants arrived. The reasons for the flow of these enemy emigrants are attributed to:

-                First: emergence of the Nazis movement in Germany and augmentation of Jews' oppression. Some of the Jewish writers, such as Alfred Lilienthal disclosed that Zionists contacted the Nazis and encouraged them for such a policy so as to justify erection of the state, and this is no unusual for Zionism , where as it participated in oppressive operations in Germany, after the war, to force Jews to migrate to Palestine.

-                Second: Economical crises in Europe affected migration of many of the Jews to Palestine and economical situations in America led to strictness in implementation of restrictions imposed on emigrating there to. This is clearly noticed from locations emigrants came from, where polish Jews represented half of the fifth wave. This is clearly noticed from ethnical formation of the fifth wave as well; where as more than 90% of its emigrants were European Jews who comprised a large number of people of free occupations and specialized well skilled labors. In the period from 1935 to 1939 about 1000 doctors and 500 engineers migrated to Palestine, and that was in preparation -by Zionism- to set up the basis for declaration of their state.

As for the sixth wave, Britain tried to approach the Arabs and issued the white book on May 17, 1939. The importance of this book is in its being the first time a final number of emigrants determined. The Zionist movement moved the center of Zionist weight to the United States. Zionist activity was centered in New York and Baltimore conference was concluded on May 1942, where three points were defined:

1-           To open the doorway for emigration without restrictions under supervision of the Jewish Agency.

2-            Formation of a Jewish squad that fights to the side of the Allies and that has its own flag, so as to confirm the right of Zionism in establishing a state that will later on become a member of the United Nations.

3-              Transfer Palestine into a Jewish Commonwealth.

From what preceded, it is very clear that Jewish emigration waves had directly contributed to the forced change of the demographic balance in favor of the Jews. This migration also shared in a geographic change, where the first emigration wave to Palestine set up the first agricultural settlements of (Btah Tekfah), (Roch Bena) and (Zakroun Jacob) and most of the migrants had been from Romania and South Russia. During the First World War Jewish migration stopped. Yet, as soon as this war ended, the Jewish migration was very actively resumed due to the placement of Palestine under British Mandatory, which commenced implementation of Balfour declaration, which the British government had given to the Jews for setting-up a homeland for them on Palestine land, round the end of the mandatory period, where the number of Jewish emigrants amounted to a half million emigrants. The biggest of these migrations were witnessed in the years: 20,24,26,33,36,39,46 and 48 as shown in table (5) which denotes the number of Jewish emigrants to Palestine in each year from 1920 to 1940.

Table (6): Numbers of Jewish emigrants to Palestine between 1920 and 1941³¹

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During the period from 1919 to 1923 about 35000 emigrants annually arrived to Palestine, and then another wave flowed during the period 1924-1931 reaching its peak in the year 1925, when about 33000 emigrants entered Palestine. Yet, the number of emigrants decreased in the years between 1927 and 1931 to groups of two to five thousand emigrants annually.

Adolph Hitler's attainment of Germany's rule motivated migration of a great number of middle European Jews ( Germany ,Austria and Czechoslovakia) where 63% of this Jewish migration arrived to Palestine, and this also led to the fifth wave of emigration, which by it self carried 150000 Jews who carried with them a considerable capital. In the year 1933 alone, 37300 Jews arrived then. The number rose to 45300 in the year 1934 and to 66500 in the year 1935. The number of sneaking emigrants during this period reached about 50000 ³².

However, the 1936 strike and Grand Palestinian revolution stopped the migration current, and the number of emigrants went down to 30000 in 1936 and then to 11000 in 1937 and to 15000 emigrants in the year 1938. Whereas this number ascended to 31000 emigrants in the year 1939, emigration to Palestine was stopped after this year and mainly in 1940 and 1941, till it reached about four thousand emigrants per year.

As soon as the 1948 war broke out, the number of emigrants to Palestine went down and decreased to about 20000 emigrants.

This migration was accompanied –right from the beginning- by a plan for erection of a national Homeland for the Jews, for which international Zionist Movement sought and propagated. This was realized for the Jews on issuance of Balfour Pledge for erection of a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine in the year 1917. The number of Jewish emigrants to Palestine –before the mandatory period- was estimated to be 55000 emigrants. Nevertheless the immigration wave to Palestine intensified after British domination till the end of the mandatory period, where the number of Jewish emigrants to Palestine between 1920 and 1948 was estimated to be 466000 Jews³³.

As for Jewish emigration after the catastrophe and until the June 1967 war, it witnessed far more intense and vehement waves, where 687000 emigrants arrived at Palestine during the period 1949-1951, i.e. more than had arrived thereto between 1882 and 1948. The total number of Jewish emigrants during the period 1949-1966 amounted to 1136600 emigrants. Here from, we can confirm that more than 70% of the Jewish population increase, during the British mandatory period is ascribable to migration, and furthermore, 88% of this increase is attributed to migration during the period 1948-1951, while 35% of the increase is due to migration during the period 1952-1960³⁴.

From what preceded, it is clear that Palestine population was increasing very rapidly, where the number of Arab inhabitants doubled twice during this period, while the number of Jews doubled about eight times.

International growth rates clearly reflect this increase, where as Palestine population growth rate during this period was 40.2 per thousand annually, and Arabs growth rate was 28 per thousand and that of the Jews was 80 per thousand. These high rates- which exceed those in the neighboring countries to Palestine are attributable to two factors:

-                Natural increase rates of Arabs were very high.

-                Jewish migration to Palestine clearly led to an increase of the Jews' percentage of the total population, where as their percentage –at the beginning of the mandatory period in the year 1918- amounted to 8% and then to 11% in 1922 and then to 31.5% at the end of the mandatory period. Despite that, Arabs remained a majority in Palestine as illustrated by the antecedent figures and statistics.

The increase of Palestine population by such high rates had led to ascension of population pressure there on, noting that it has a limited area which does not exceed 27000km². So, the density of population there on, in the year 1922 was 30 persons per square kilometer, and then in 1931 it went up to 41 persons, where it reached 78 persons in the year 1948. The extent of population pressure in Palestine becomes clear when we know that the population density in Jordan was 4 persons per square kilometer in the year 1947 and in Egypt was 20 persons per square kilometer while in Iraq the density was 11 persons per square kilometer.³⁵

Migration was not the only factor because side to side with it was another factor represented by births.

Available data denotes that these factors in Palestine –despite admixing inadequacy due to incomplete registration – show that raw birth date for Arabs were high. The raw birth rate, during the period between 1922 and 1946, was 51 per thousand for Muslims and 35 per thousand for Christians and 45 per thousand for Druses and others. As for Jews, their fertility was much lower than that of the Arabs, where as the raw birth rate average, during the period ( 1922-1946) was 27 per thousand and the direction of these rates was tending to gradual decrease as shown in table no(7) which illustrates birth rates, mortality and natural increase for each religion from 1922 to 1946.

Table no (7) Birth rates and Mortality and Natural Increase for Palestine Inhabitants as per Relegion³⁶:

From the previous table it is clear that the highest raw birth rate was in the years between 1926 and 1930, where the rate amounted to 48.6, while the lowest rate was 40.6 in the years between 1936 and 1940. The same interval which witnessed the highest raw birth rate , witnessed the highest mortality rate as well, i.e. between the years 1926 and 1930, where as mortality rate reached 24.3. The lowest mortality rate was in the years between 1941 and 1946 where it reached 14.2, at the same time we see the lowest natural increase occurring between the years 1922 and 1925, where it reached 22.8, while the highest natural increase rate occurred in the years between 1941 and 1946 and reached 27.9.

Going back to mortality and birth rates and the resulting natural increase rates we find that the Jews' natural increase rate –when compared within their growth rate- the difference is very great, the thing which reflects the impact of migration on their increase showing that natural increase had never been the major factor in the increase of Jews, in fact, it is migration to Palestine. Also going back to sources of population increase, we find that natural increase was responsible for 99.6% of Muslims increase and 64% of Christians increase and 89% of Druses increase, while in the case of Jews, natural increase in their growth reached only 27% and migration's contribution was 73%. The most important thing we can notice from table no (6) is the decrease in Mortality rates among the Jews when compared to mortality rates among Moslems, Christians and Druses.

In the years between 1922 and 1925 Mortality Rate among Muslims was 26.5 while it was about 13.7 among Jews during the same period, the thing which means that Mortality Rate among Moslems was double that among Jews. This also applies to all the years within the period 1922-1946. This also was one of the factors that helped to increase the population growth average for Jews. Table No. (8) Shows demographic evolution in Palestine during the period 1918-1948, and considers the number of Jewish inhabitants and their existence percentage compared to the total population in Palestine.

Table No. (8)- Population Development in Palestine During The Period 1918-1938⁽³⁷⁾:

By looking at the size of population evolution and combinations there of in Palestine, we notice that the number of Jewish inhabitants did not notably change except after the end of the First  World War, when large numbers of European and North African Jews started to migrate to Palestine. This also applies to the Jews of East Europe and especially Poland and Russia, who migrated in relatively large numbers to Palestine.

The quick and gradual increase in the Jewish population percentage in Palestine is clearly noticed in this table. While it did not exceed 2.7% in the year 1918, it went-up to 5.31% of the total population in 1948, because of the flow of Jewish migrations particularly from the European continent.

From the table, one notices that Jews did not form but 2.7% of the total population, where their number amounted to approximately 50,000 persons. Their number doubled three times after ten years to become 156,000 persons. In the year 1943 their existential percentage reached 30% of the total population and their number became about half a million persons.

The highest percentage of Jewish inhabitants reached 31.5% in the year 1948, the year in which the Jewish national homeland was set-up, after having dislodged and kicked Palestinians from their villages and cities. Table No. (9) Elucidates Jews’ migration to occupied Palestine in comparison with Arab Palestinians migration there from.

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Table No. (9) Jews’ Migration to Occupied Palestine in Comparison with Palestinian Arab Migration. ⁽³⁸⁾

Through analysis of the previous table it could be noticed that 70% of the increase in the number of Jewish inhabitants during the mandatory period is attributable to migration during the period 1919-1948. It is also noticed that there is a direct relation between the flow of Jewish and their migration to Palestine, and their evacuation and dislodgement of the Palestinians from their villages and cities, and the size of demographic forces included. The continual flow of Jewish migration waves forced a great number of the Palestinian people to refuge outside the territories occupied on 1948. The same style (method) recurred after the 1967 aggression, which forced great numbers to migrate from the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the neighboring countries especially The Arab Republic of Egypt, Jordanian Kingdom and the Lebanese Republic.

Jewish Migration and the Impact of Its Role in Changing the Demographic Status in Palestine before the Year 1948.

Talking about migration waves to Palestine is not for recording the number of these migration waves or the number of emigrants, as it is necessary to bring up how far these migration waves affected the demographic status in Palestine until erection of the Jews’ estate in the year 1948. So, was this migration purposeless?? Or was it a deliberate qualitative migration before setting-up this estate?

Jews migrated to Palestine during the mandatory period in four major battalions, the members of which totaled about 482,900 emigrants and with an average of 16,440 emigrants per annum. A group of internal and external changes effected the migration movement and size thereof in such a way that made the average vary from one interval to another.

The period (1919-1923) had witnessed a migration average of 7,000 emigrants per annum. This average increased to reach 24,600 emigrants per annum during the period (1924-1931), and during the period (1932-1939) reached the highest level thereof, amounting to 57,100 emigrants per annum. As for the period (1940-1948) it witnessed a Jewish migration to Palestine with an average of 34,900 emigrants per annum. ⁽³⁹⁾

When examining Jewish emigration waves to Palestine, one would notice the Zionist Movement’s reliance on migration as a basic source for realizing its dream to set-up a national homeland for them on the Palestinian land, by changing the demographic state of affairs for its benefit. To achieve this –in preparation for erection of the estate and for fighting the war- would mean choosing –in a precise and accurate way- the right emigrants in order to attain the required demographic characteristics, whether quantitatively or qualitatively or even from the angle of suitability of the labor force structure to the actual need thereof, according to specified economical conditions which depend on land domination strategy and on reconstruction thereof, particularly in the agricultural field. Statistics show that most emigrants were youths of less than forty-four years of age. The average age of emigrants during the period 1948-1973 was less than 24 years.

Qualitatively speaking, the studies and data show that Israeli authorities pay much rare to the qualitative and quantitative aspects when choosing emigrants who conform to the interim economical and military needs for construction of the estate. Migration not only participated in redressing any deficiency in highly qualified technical labor force, but also helped in stimulating a number of basic industries in Israel. It also recreated the building and construction sector, in addition to the big capitals and considerable experience emigrants bring with them. As for qualitative distribution, the male migration percentage ranged between 50% and 52.3% of the total number of emigrants. This qualitative equipoise in Jewish migration is a rare case in the history of national migrations, where male percentage normally transcends. The Israeli authorities took a number of procedures which aimed at up lighting of woman participation in economical activities to confirm her equality with man since 1951, ⁽⁴⁰⁾ and to push her to participate in stimulating economical development, rather than leaving her idle, specially in light of the preparations for setting up their estate.

It is natural that the nature of this revolting migration is reflected on the Jewish society status, thus making possible for more marriage cases and for an uplift in fertility percentage and consequently to be oriented toward utilization of the land and making use of resources thereof. ⁽⁴¹⁾

Table No.(10) shows population distribution of Jews and Arabs, on basis of age, directly after erection of the Israeli estate, and on conclusion of the migration waves to Palestine, which had a great impact in changing the picture of demographic status in Palestine, reflecting the picture of emigrants there to.

Table No. (10): Population Distribution of Jews and Arabs on Basis of Age ⁽⁴²⁾

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From the proceeding table it is clear that the percentage of the Jewish society section falling under the category (15-64) exceeds that of the Palestinian society falling under the same category, in all the years between 1955 and 1975. In the year 1955 the percentage of those between 15 and 65 years in the Jewish society was 61.4% while that of Arabs under the same category was 48.9%. This category remained greater among the Jews until the year 1970, when it reached 72.7%, while it decreased in the Palestinian society to reach 46.6% in 1970. Contrary to this category, we notice that the percentage of those of the age (0-14) among Palestinians surpasses that of the Jews’ of the same category. This percentage was 45% among Palestinians in 1955, while it was 34.9% among the Jews, and in 1965 it rose to reach 50.5% among Palestinians, where as it became 32.4% among the Jews. This percentage retained an ascending level among Palestinians and a descending level among the Jews. [Refer to table (10)].

From what preceded, it is clear that population growth and evolution in Palestine and in all the occupied territories had led to a great inconsistency in population formation based on age. The Jews have experienced an odd combination because of their reliance on outside resources (migration), where as the Palestinians’ –based on age formation- reflects the characteristics and properties of a youthful and developing society, depend in –like all other developing countries- on its domestic resources (natural growth). The abnormality appearing in the image of the Jews’ population formation, represented by rise in the population category (15-65), simply means an ascent in dependence on an outside incremental source. A rise in this category means a fall in the percentage of the first category (0-14), which consequently means deterioration of the nature source. To depend on outside sources was an attempt to compensate the deficiency in labor force, resulting from opposite migration, death cases and sickness, and also to compensate the importance of this youthful element for labor force (from the economical point of view) and its importance for recruitment (from the military pint of view). This abnormality image –on the other hand- was represented by disproportionality between the second category (which is very low), through which the Israeli leadership tried to encourage migration of aged- people, and also to encourage delegation thereof, to work at charity organizations and to join such organizations in order to collect donations and contributions for the estate of Israel and to propagandize for it.

This was from the qualitative side of migration. But from the quantitative point of view, migration was able to compensate the Jewish estate for the deficiency in the population’s natural growth average, and to realize quantitative equilibrium –throughout one of the stage- between Arabs and Jews until the Israeli authorities could dislodge a large number of Palestinians, and consequently, could invert the demographic balance in favor of the Jews in Palestine. This status allowed the Jews’ obstinate adherence –in the current negotiations- to their rejection of the return of all Palestinians existent in Palestine on the one hand and the Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the territories occupied in 1948 on the other hand. The Israeli authorities have always tried not to permit opposite migration, by enforcing laws and regulations that hinder migration of Jews from Israel, whether to European countries or to any other country. Never the less, incoming migration waves varied from one period to another, for example, the number of emigrants to Israel decreased just after the 1973 war from 33,478 in 73 to 16,800 emigrants from the Soviet Union in 1974, and form 4,393 to 2,782 emigrants from the United States of America.

Yet, what is more serious for Israel is represented by migration from Israel (opposite migration). The officials in Israel estimated the number of those who migrated from Israel during the period 1970-1975 to be 100,000 emigrants. ⁽⁴³⁾

Studies confirm that migration rates tend to decrease despite the Israeli authority’s announcements that it is in need of not less than 100,000 emigrants annually, while what it gets is much less than that. In the years during which migration reached its peak, i.e. especially 1972-1973, migration rate did not exceed 55,000 emigrants per annum, and this average went down to 20,000 after the 1973 war, but went up again –in light of the late seventies migration wave- to reach 38,000 emigrants in 1979.

In the early eighties migration to Israel rate started to fall down again and the phenomenon of (opposite migration) from Israel emerged, starting with 8 to 60% in 1978 then rising to 65-70% in 1979 and to 75% in 1980.⁽⁴⁴⁾

It is decisively clear that incoming and outgoing migration, to end from Palestine, partakes in changing the demographic status on the Palestinian land. Added to that, the Israeli authorities implement several methods and techniques that serve their avidity for attaining a demographic status that would be in favor of the Jews in Palestine. Among these method and techniques, adopted by the Israeli authorities was dislodgement and destruction of villages. This was –more or less- a planned policy, through implementation of which, the Israeli authorities tended to achieve a population majority (in Palestine).

The Jews’ Demographic Policy toward the Palestinian People Before the Year 1948:

Here from, it is clear that –according to the Zionist Movement's avidity to erect a national homeland for the Jews on Palestinian land (Israeli leaders emblem was and still is: a land with no people for a people with no land), whereas the Jews' goal -right from the beginning- was to present Palestine as a land with no inhabitants and with no people to live in. Their unequivocal objectives are centralized on liquidation and extermination of the Palestinian people, depending in that on numerous methods that pour out into one unified policy which is called "expulsion policy".

This expulsion policy is an operation that aims at dislodgement of the native populates and replace there of by other inhabitants. In other words it is an operation of replacing populates by other populates.

Accordingly, the Israeli authorities adopted various methods and means to oblige Palestinians to leave their villages and cities, such as massacres and blood baths, the most famous of which is "Dir Yassin Massacre". No matter what forms this operation took, it resulted in expulsion of populates to reduce the number of Palestinian populates, and hence maintain a degree of demographic equilibrium inside Palestine.

Table no.11 shows the massacres which could be recorded, committed by the Zionist gangs, to compel people to vacate, after having refused to do so. Five massacres in the middle area, five in the South and twenty four in Al-Jalil (Galileo) were reached

Table no.11: Massacres committed by Israel in 1948 ⁴⁵

 Following The 1948 war, and after the Zionist Gangs had committed the massacres and dislodged the Palestinian populates, the number of refugees was estimated to be not less than 900000 persons. The Zionist authorities adopted a settlemental colonialistic method to expatriate Arab populates from their land and to destruct their villages. Example of this are:

-                Immediately after its emergence, the Israeli authorities banished 35000 Palestinians of Al-Naqab inhabitants to Jordan and Syria.

-                Israel (after emergence) destroyed 478 villages out of 585 Arab villages.

-                The Israeli authorities expelled the populates of Al-Khassas, Kubtiyeh, and Al-Ja'ounah villages of Safad province and completely wiped-out these villages.

-                Expatriation of the remaining inhabitants (about 2000 persons) of Al-Majdal and Askalan villages by force to Gaza in 1950.

-                In 1951 the Israeli authorities expelled the populates of thirteen villages of "The Triangle Villages".

Demolition of 135 villages out of 210 villages of Al-Khalil and expatriation of inhabitants there of.

As a result, the Arab populates’ percentage decreased from 52% directly after emergence of Israel to 17.9% in 1949, and then to 12.9% in 1950.⁽⁴⁶⁾

After the 1967 war, things were different. In the year 1948 erection of the estate of Israel was declared, but in 1967 the objective was domination of the remaining parts of Palestine which the Zionist authorities could not control during the first years of estate declaration. As a result of this war, about 400,000 Palestinians from the West Bank and about 50,000 others from Gaza Strip ⁽⁴⁷⁾ were dislodged and expatriated.

The expatriation operation continued afterwards between and of 1967 and 1979, where a further 354,000 Palestinians were expelled from the West Bank and Gaza at an annual average of 29,500 Palestinians.⁽⁴⁸⁾

From what preceded, it is clear that Palestinians’ expatriation operations never were optional migrations, in fact they were a sort of a policy adopted by the Israeli authorities to achieve a demographic superiority and majority in Palestine.

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v      A Future Demographic Reading:

Despite the Zionist practices and the geographic and demographic consequences thereof, the Jewish existence which is spread all over the land of Historical Palestine will not form a majority in the year 2006, in which year the Palestinians will be equal to the Jews. Within the coming years, it is expected that the Palestinians will surpass. Table no. (12) explains the anticipated demographic balance on the land of Palestine up to the year 2006.

Table No (12) The Anticipated Demographic Balance for Palestinians and Jews on the land of Historical Palestine.⁽⁴⁹⁾

N.B: Numbers of settlers are not added to the total number of Jews because they have naturally been included in the total No. of Jews in the Israeli estate.

From 1999 to 2006, the researcher’s estimations are based on a fixed annual increment (for Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza Strip: 176, 195 person per year; for Palestinians inside Israel: 34,500 persons per year and for the Jews: 83,500 persons per year). The increase in the number of Jews did not take into consideration any Jewish collective migrational waves that may come to Palestine. No estimates have been made for Settlers of the West Bank and Gaza Strip because this is linked with political circumstances.

From the previous table it is clear that the demographic balance will be in favour of the Palestinians in the year 2006, regardless of the place of their existence, i.e whether in the West Bank, Gaza Strip or inside Israel. The number of Palestinians on the land of Historical Palestine in the year 2006 will reach 5,467,472 Palestinians while the number of Jews on the land of Historical Palestine, at the same time, will be 5,453,100 Jews. This Palestinian transcendence is attributable to the natural increase, while the population increase of the Jews directly depends on incoming emigrants from all over the world.

As preceded, we deduce that the wide Palestinian migration, with its enormous size, was a result of compulsory expatriation and of the Jewish gangs’ practices, met by the arrival of thousands of Jews from all over the world, to settle in Palestine. Despite of all the Zionist gangs’ practices, Palestinians, on the land of Historical Palestine, will be the majority, contrary to what the Zionist Movement had plotted. The enemy’s authority is proceeding with implementation of their scheme for maintaining the demographic balance in their favor, the thing which requires continuation of their plan which aims at swallowing the land and dislodgement of its populates from Palestine, confining them in unlinked and non coherent spots and cantons so as to facilitate control thereof. But this notifies and advises of a population explosion because population growth factors are in favor of the Palestinian people (Palestinians 4% per annum and Jews 1.9% per annum) and overall fertility averages are (6.1) for the Palestinian people and (2.1) for Jews. Accordingly, Jews –through their political and military establishments- are trying to compete with the demographic decisive years by intensification of land domination operations as is now happening with the settlemental network, spreading all over the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the Separating Wall, which eats up more than half the area of the West Bank if the eastern wall of Jordan Valley is executed, the thing which cuts up the Palestinian land in the West Bank and Gaza Strip into small separate cantons, with no geographical interconnections, which in it turn would disrupt emergence and formation of an independent Palestinian estate of viable characteristics.

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v      Conclusions and Recommendations:

1. The importance of geographic and demographic studies through which one gets to know about the sum and distribution of the Palestinian people, and about growth constituents for Palestinians and Jews, who from the two parties of this struggle.

2. Impact of settlemental and evacuational population policies on the Palestinian people, which affected more than 5,300,000 persons, who represent the total number of refugees and deportees, totaling 69% of the Palestinian people.

3. The Palestinian people are considered a youthful society due to its high birth-rates and ascent of its youths’ percentage.

4. The Palestinian people will arrive to a demographic equilibrium status with the Jews by the year 2006, despite all Jewish migrational waves.

5. The Israeli society depends –in its growth- on incoming migration, while the Palestinian society depends on births.

6. Zionism’s adoption of obligatory expatriation schemes, known as “settlemental and evacuational scheme.”

Recommendations

1. Invitation of all intellectuals, geographic and demographic researchers and sociologists to highlight the demographic conflict issue, due to its great importance in exposing Zionism and its continual practices up to this date.

2. The necessity of highlighting the demographic and geographic side of all the Palestinian population gatherings, and the necessity of displaying facts and figures so as to explicate population growth and evolution orientations of the Palestinian people.

3. To invite all research centers to highlight the geographic and demographic dimensions of the Palestinian-Israeli struggle, and the importance of the Palestinian people’s unity in its resistance and in facing the Zionist challenges whose acts –represented by land confiscation, extraction of Palestinian man and attraction of more Jews- we are still witnessing.

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References:

1. Hassan Abdul Kader –Geography of Palestine- no publishing house -1996- page 126.

2. Mousa Samha and others –Demographic Struggle in Occupied Palestine- Joint Jordanian Palestinian Committee -1986- page 8.

3. http://www.wahdah.net/demog.html

4. Same previous reference.

5. Same previous reference.

6. Same previous reference.

7. Same previous reference.

8. Same previous reference- page 9.

9. Palestinian National Authority –Central Census dept. summary of the preliminary census carried out end of 1977- without number of pages.

10. http://www.palestine-info.info/arabic/palestoday/reports/report2004/2006.htm

11. http://www.arabynet.com/article.asp?did_9934.EN

12. Mousa Samha and others –Demographic Struggle in Occupied Palestine- Joint Jordanian Palestinian Committee- page 9.

13. Hassan Abdul Kader –Palestine Geography- previous refernce, page 7.

14. Hassan Abdul Kader and Others –Palestine; Land, People and Cause- Tunisia, ELEXO -983- page 13.

15. Mustapha Al Dabbagh –Our Country… Palestine- Part 1, Dar Al Talia’h –Beirut- 1973 page ?

16. Al Na’amani Ahmad Al Sayed –Social Structure of the Israeli Society- 1948-1975 –Al Nahdah Library- Cairo- page 11.

17. William Fahmi –Jewish Emigration to Palestine –The General Egyptian Authority for books –Cairo- 1984 – p.10

18. The Standard Jewish Encyclopedia, London –Encyclopedia Publishing House -1959-1968- p.1348

19. Luke H. and Heith –The Handbook of Palestine and Trans Jordan- Macmillan –London, 1930- p.31

20. Government of Palestine, census of 1922 –Jerusalim 1923.

21. Government of Palestine, census of 1931 – Jerusalim 1932.

22. Hassan Abdul Kader Saleh –Geography of Palestine- Civics syllabus- Open University –Jerusalim- 1996 (No publishing House) –page 128.

23. Mustapha Murad Addabbagh –Palestine… Our Country – Part 1- Universitee’s Society in Al Khalil- Al Talia’h Publishing house- Beirut – 1973- p.23-24.

24. Mousa Samha –Demographic Changes in Palestine- a study in Demographic growth and struggle –Jordanian University- Population Studies Department –p.384.

25. S. Hadawi –Land Ownership in Palestine- New York- 1957- p.9-10.

26. Hassan Abdul Kader Saleh –Palestine Population, Demographically and Geographically – Dar Al Shurouk – 1985- p.21.

27. Saleh A. and Mustapha –Palestine,,, mass destruction of Palestinian Villages and occupational colonization during a Hundred years- 1882-1982, London- Jerusalim Center for Developmental Studies- p.14.

28. 28.        MOhamad Al Sayed Ghallab –Evolution of Palestine Population from 1918 to 1965- Magazine of Arab Studies and Researches Center- Arab Countries League- Fourth issue- 1973- p.326-327.

29. Nabil Al Sahli –demographic Changes of the Palestinian People- Samed economical – Amman- issue No 12, p.103.

30. Isaak Moussa Al Hussainy –Jerusalim Arabism- Beirut, 1969 – p.18.

31.  Mohamad Al Sayed Ghallab –Previous reference- p.329.

32. Previous reference – p.328.

33. Orni, F. and Effrat, E. –Geography of Israel- Israel Universities press, Jerusalim, 1970- p.260.

34. Ibid – p.260.

35. Dr. Moussa Samha and others, Demographic Struggle in Occupied Palestine – Previous Reference – p.18.

36. Previous Reference, p.20.

37. Abdul Khalek Zikri –Comparative Demographic Study of Arab Inhabitants before Zionist Occupation in 1948, and thereafter – In Demographic characteristics of the Palestinian Arab People- p.343.

38. Moussa Samha – Previous reference – p.22.

39. R. Bachi –The Population of Israel; Jerusalem-1976- p.35.

40. Mansour Al Rawi –New Malthusianism and Demographic Policy of Israel towards the Palestinian Arab People- in demographic characteristics of the Palestinian People- Dar Al Nidal, Beirut- 1985- p.47.

41. W. Preuss, The Economic Effects of Jewish Immigration in Palestine, annals of amer. Acad. of Polit and soc. Science. Vol.(164) 1932, p.p109-113.

42. Omar Sa’adeh –Demographic Structure and Israeli Labor Force Samed Economical Mag. –year4- Vol. 19 -1980- pp.61.

43. Occupied Palestine Publishings –Strategy of Military Demographic Economy for the Israeli Arab Society- Beirut- 1982- p.28.

44. Economical Samed Magazine –Israel… Is It a Viable Estate? Issue 22, September 1981- p.80-81.

45. Suleiman Hussein Abou Sitta –The 1948 Catastrophe Register- Al Awda Center- London- 1988, p.12.

46. Mahmoud Kadkri –Zionist Settlemental Colonialism- Samed Economy magazine- Issue 39- April 1982, p.75-107.

47. Janette Abou Laghd –Demographic Transformation- Sociologists Association- Palestine Liberation Organization- Al Eman Center- Beirut 1972.

48. Omar Sa’ada –Expatriation of Palestinians and consequences thereof on Labour Force in the Occupied Territories- Samed Economy Magazine- year4- issue No.24- 1982- p.104-105.

49. Central Board for Palestinian Statistics. Population in the Occupied territories -1927-2025- Ramallah- p.41. Statistical Abstract of Israel. Jerusalem 1999- No.50- Table 2,1, Foundation for Middle East Peace, Israeli Settlement, Volume10, No.6.