Jerusalem, 16 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Regavim Movement’s research department published a study Wednesday titled “Area C: The Untold Story,” alleging that the Palestinian Authority manipulates demographic data on Arabs in Judea and Samaria to inflate population figures, secure disproportionate international resources, and influence Israeli policy.
The study traces population-counting authority to Israel’s 1967 census, transferred to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) under the 1995 Oslo Accords. It cites estimates ranging from one million to nearly three million residents, attributing discrepancies to alleged double-counting, inclusion of deceased residents, inflated birth figures, and people who never lived in the territory.
PCBS reports roughly 4.8 million Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and Gaza: about 2.9 million in Judea and Samaria and 1.9 million in Gaza. Regavim called for a new census, saying accurate data is essential for decisions about Israel’s future.