About 40,000 Arab refugees now living in the Gaza Strip may move voluntarily to the West Bank within the next few months, it was learned by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today. Their move will be assisted by the Israel Army. The move has long been sought by military authorities who believe that over-population and unemployment in the Gaza Strip are responsible for the high incidence of terrorist activity in that region. About 220,000 Arabs presently live in refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, comprising two-thirds of the population. About 5,000 former Gaza Strip residents have already moved to the West Bank. They are mainly in Jericho, Tulkarem and Jenin. In contrast to conditions in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank is short of labor and contains several former Jordanian Army camps and refugee camps that are empty and could provide temporary shelter for Arabs coming from Gaza.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
