The complete Judea and Samaria (West Bank) Jewish Population Stats report was released on Sunday with data updated to January 1, 2017. The report is available to the public in English via the mailing list at the http://WestBankJewishPopulationStats.com website. The Associated Press picked up the newly-released report as well. The West Bank Jewish Population Stats report is compiled each year by former Member of Knesset Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz based on precise data from the population registry in Israel’s Ministry of the Interior. As of January 1, 2017, according to the report, 420,899 Jews live in Judea and Samaria, not including those in the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem, which which were also liberated during the Six Day War of 1967. With the report’s release, Former Knesset Member Katz said, “The number of Jews living today in Judea and Samaria speaks volumes. The facts on the ground in this region are irreversible and render the concept of a two-state solution obsolete. Any person with a sound mind who faces the reality of the numbers in this report will conclude: the two-state solution is dead. ” And such was the case with renowned Israeli author A. B. Yehoshua who led the struggle for a two-state solution for decades. In a December 2016 meeting, President of the State of Israel Ruby Rivlin presented the 2016 West Bank Jewish Population Stats Report, compiled by Former Knesset Member Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz, to Mr. Yehoshua. After studying the report, A. B. Yehoshua told Kol Yisrael radio on Dec. 7th, 2016 [ https://youtu.be/An9Fu2iB514 ]: “This solution [two-state] is no longer possible. I believed in this solution for 50 years, I fought for it, and was an activist for it. When I, as an intellectual, must face reality and not delude myself, I must ask if this solution is truly possible… After we internalize that it is impossible to deport 450,000 settlers from Area C, it won’t happen [under any circumstances]. Can we divide Jerusalem? …It’s time to start thinking of alternative solutions.” The report tracks the Jewish population growth over the last year and over the last 5 years and includes a future projection based on the current growth rates. Baruch Gordon, a researcher on the report and founder of IsraelNationalNews.com , said on Sunday: “For years, policy makers both in Israel and the West had no clue to the size of the West Bank Jewish population. The numbers were suppressed; the media silent. This report introduced the real figures into the discourse. Its impact cannot be overestimated.” The report is now available to the public via the mailing list at http://WestBankJewishPopulationStats.com
