NEW YORK – While the international community focuses on Jewish construction in Judea-Samaria-Gaza, Palestinian Arab construction in those territories rose nearly 27% this year, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) points out.

According to Israeli government estimates, Arabs have been building at ten times the rate of Jews in the territories.

The pro-Arafat newspaper Arab newspaper Jerusalem Times reports (June 18, 2004):

“There was a general increase in the total number of issued building permits in first quarter 2004 compared with first quarter 2003 (around 26.8%), said a new report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). The number of issued building permits in first quarter 2004 has also increased compared with the first quarter of 2002 (around 16.0%)…”

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said: “For the international community to demand an end to Jewish construction, yet remain silent about the much larger amount of Palestinian Arab construction, represents a deplorable double standard.”

A recent poll carried out by John McLaughlin & Associates among a scientific sample of 1,000 American adults asked if both Jews and Arabs should be allowed to build in the territories, as they do now, or if Jews should be prevented from building there. 61.5% said both Jews and Arabs should be allowed to build; only 13.5% said that only Arabs should be allowed.