The Population Covered by the FAFO Survey

At this stage it should be emphasized that the FAFO living conditions survey is a sample survey and not a census. Indeed, no census has been taken in the occupied territories since the Israeli census in September 1967. The FAFO survey is thus only able to draw a picture of the relative distribution of population groups and variables. It cannot give separate, exact and absolute numbers for variables like population, labor force, unemployment, etc. Taking into consideration that population figures for the occupied territories, particularly for Gaza, are highly disputed, absolute results in a sample survey like the present FAFO survey will also be vulnerable to precarious estimates of the total population. The total population numbers used for sample design, (i.e. various geographically and socio-economic homogenous groups), stem from the 1987 Benvenisti/ Khayat West Bank and Gaza atlas. It is assumed that the development of the population in the various districts has been roughly parallel since 1987. Rough estimates of population growth indicate an average absolute population growth in the occupied territories between 20% and 25% from 1987 to 1992.

Figure 2.1 Distribution of population 15 years or older by region and type of locality

Figure 2.1 shows the geographical distribution of the population of individuals over the three main regions covered by the FAFO living condition survey⁵.

Table 2.1 Head of household's father's birthplace by head of household's present residence

	Head of household's father's birthplace (1992 Geographical areas, all numbers in residence percent of present region of residence
Head of Households present residence	Gaza	West Bank	Arab Jerusalem	Israel	Other Arab country	Total
Gaza	40	-	-	59	1	100
West Bank	-	80	2	17	1	100
Arab Jerusalem	1	18	62	15	4	100
Occupied territories	13	49	7	30	1	100

The dislocation of the Palestinian population since the 1947-48 war has already been discussed above. In table 2.1 the geographical distribution of the households interviewed by the FAFO survey is presented together with the place of birth of the fathers of the Head of Households in these households.

In 99% of the households the father of the Household Head was born inside the borders of the pre-1948 British Mandate. A little less than one third of the fathers of the Head of Households were born in the area presently constituting the State of Israel. The table reveals a great difference with regard to local roots between, on the one hand, the West Bank and Arab Jerusalem, and on the other, the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank and Arab Jerusalem the vast majority of the fathers of the Heads of Household were born in the area of present residence. For Household Heads presently residing in Gaza, on the contrary, only two out of five had fathers who were born in the region.

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