A team of American and Israeli researchers report that the 2004 Palestinian-Arab population was closer to 2.4 million than the 3.8 million reported by the PA.
The million-and-a-half person gap occurred because the PA numbers are based on Palestine Bureau of Statistics (PBS) 1997 projections, not on actual population counts.
When the research team reviewed PA Ministry of Health birth data and actual border entry/exit data, they found "dramatically fewer births and lower fertility rates, and instead of immigration, the territories experienced a steady net emigration," reported project leader Bennett Zimmerman.
"The PA's Central Election Commission acknowledged that 200,000 Palestinians were living abroad and that the number of eligible voters living in the territories was only 1.3 million. This figure confirmed our lowest population calculations," explained historian Roberta Seid.
Click here for a PowerPoint presentation: Arab Population in the West Bank and Gaza: The Million-and-a-Half Person Gap
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