144 colonies shown in latest data

Ramallah: By the end of 2009, Israel had 144 colonies in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, the majority of which are located in Jerusalem Governorate (26 colonies) and 16 of them were annexed by Israel.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on Tuesday released its report on Israeli colonies. The report showed that the number of colonists was 517,774 by the end of 2009, the majority of whom live in Jerusalem Governorate (267,325), while 201,273 live in J1, which is the part of Jerusalem which Israel annexed after the 1967 war.

Israeli aggression

The report showed that the number of colonists who live in Israeli colonies in the Palestinian territories increased by more than 40 times during 1972-2009. The number of Jews in the historical Palestine area and in other occupied territories increased about two times during the same period.

The report complies with PCBS' work plan and is the outcome of PCBS' efforts to produce a series of statistical reports that show the extent of Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

Such a series of statistical reports aim to avail required data on Israeli colonies in the Palestinian Territory to shed light on the basic factors which affect Palestinian society.