According to demographic projections by the United Nations, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Palestinian National Authority, the Arabs of the West Bank and Gaza are the world’s fastest growing population—and residents of the Palestinian National Authority will outnumber Israeli Jews in the foreseeable future. But are these estimates accurate?

Many demographic specialists from the United Nations, the US, and Israel estimate that the Palestinian population of the West Bank and Gaza may currently (midyear 2004) be as high as 3.8 million persons. Those same sources, furthermore, suggest West Bank/Gaza is among the world's fastest growing regions today. But are...