Official data: Israel uses 85% of total area of historical Palestine

Israel uses over 85 per cent of the total area of historical Palestine while Palestinians use less than 15 per cent of the land, according to statistics from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) published on Monday.

PCBS noted in a statement that the Israeli authorities control 24 per cent of the Gaza Strip and 90 per cent of the Jordan Valley, an area which makes up 29 per cent of the West Bank’s total area.

According to PCBS, Israel has also sought to Judaize Jerusalem by changing the demographics of the city. The report noted that the Israeli authorities approved the construction of 12,600 settlement units in East Jerusalem during 2015.

The report also quoted statistics from Al-Maqdisi Institute which noted that between 2000 and 2014 the Israeli authorities demolished 1,342 buildings in East Jerusalem, resulting in the displacement of 5,760 Palestinians.