West Bank Housing Construction and Sales Update
Settlement Report | Vol. 19 No. 5 | September-October 2009
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reports that construction of new dwellings in West Bank settlements fell by one-third in the first half of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.
Housing starts dropped 34 percent, to 672 dwelling units, compared to 1,015 for the same period in 2008. In Israel overall, housing starts for the first half of 2009 dropped 12 percent, from 14,790 in 2009 compared to 16,540 in 2008.
In the West Bank, 163 new dwellings were sold between the months of January and July 2009, a decrease from the same period in 2008, in which 279 were sold.
“Israel Building in West Bank Settlements Has Dropped, New Study Finds,” Ha’aretz, September 3, 2009; “16% Drop in New Apartment Sales in July,” Gil Kol, Yediot Aharonot, August 27, 2009
