Yesha Population Grows By 5.2%

Despite, or because of, the warfare with the Arabs of the Palestinian Authority, the Jewish population of Yesha continued to grow during the year 2001.

Jan 11, 2002, 2:16 PM (GMT+2)

Despite, or because of, the warfare with the Arabs of the Palestinian Authority, the Jewish population of Yesha continued to grow during the year 2001. The latest Interior Ministry figures show that the total number of residents in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza is now almost 214,000, or 5.2% more than a year ago. All areas of Yesha participated in the growth, except for the Megillot region near the Dead Sea and the town of Emanuel. Gush Katif grew by 4.2%, while the Binyamin Regional Council jumped by 8.7%. Some 1,600 people moved into the hareidi town of Beitar Illit, between Jerusalem and Gush Etzion, during this past year. The Yesha population grew by over 8% during the year preceding the current Oslo War.