Hours before a scheduled meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama in Washington Monday, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics released the figures on Jewish housing starts in Judea and Samaria for 2013 and they show a stunning, 123% rise compared to the year before.

According to the CBS, work began on 2,534 new Judea and Samaria homes and apartments in 2013, compared to 1,133 in 2012. Of these, some 1,710 units were in apartment buildings in the larger Judea and Samaria settlements, and 824 were single-family homes in smaller settlements.

The same data shows a 19 percent drop in housing starts in the Tel Aviv area.

The total number of housing starts throughout Israel rose 3.4 percent in 2013 compared to 2012, according to the CBS.

Housing starts in Judea and Samaria have been lower since a 10-month freeze in building in Judea and Samaria settlements that began in November 2009, as part of the Netanyahu government’s capitulation to American pressure.

It took until 2013 for many new housing tenders to be issued for Judea and Samaria settlements, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Housing starts in Judea and Samaria comprise 5.7% of all the starts in Israel. In the south of Israel there was a 12% rise, in the Haifa region 8.1%, in Jerusalem 2.9%, and up north 1%.

The 19% drop in housing starts in Tel Aviv appears dramatic when juxtaposed with the rest of the country.

And now for a word from our friend at Peace Now Yariv Oppenheimer who issued a statement saying that at this rate of growth there’ll be no room left for a Palestinian State.

The other friendly NGO, the “Geneva Initiative,” faulted Netanyahu for creating a one-state solution through his action, and warned that in such a state the Jews would be in the minority.

No they won’t, just check birth rate figures for Jews (on the rise) and for Judea and Samaria Arabs (on the decline since 2005).

Some JTA content was used in this report, but we had to replace all the “west bank” references with the proper “Judea and Samaria.”

These days the work on analyzing the figures of the 2013 population census is being concluded, and once again the Jewish Settler communities are showing a resounding increase, according to Srugim. Based on these figures, 2013 has seen a 4.3 percent population growth in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan valley.

As of last December (which means the real figures for today are even higher), the Jewish settler population in Judea and Samaria is about 375,000, with an addition of some 15,400 new residents. The Judea and Samaria annual growth rate is more than twice the average in Israel west of the 1949 armistice line—aka the green line—which is 1.9.

The greatest growth was registered in 2013, same as in 2012, in the smaller communal settlements, some of which are in very remote locations, away from the population clusters of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. A source in the Yesha Council has suggested that this shows that the settlement movement is still being motivated mostly by ideology. But it could also mean that their cable TV and Internet service is not as reliable, which leaves young locals with more free time.

Settlements with the highest growth rates in 2013 were: Etz Ephraim (Samaria) with 41%, Har Gilo (Gush Etzion) 33.4%, Maskiot (Jordan Valley) 25%, Rotem (JV) 19.1%, Adora (Mt. Hebron) 15.9%, Yitav (JV) 12.5%, and Nachliel (Benjamin) 10.2%.

Settlements with the most significant population growth in 2013 were Mosiin Ilit—3,376 new residents, Beitar Ilit—2,703, Givat Zeev—970, Maale Adumim—487, Oranit-486, Etz Ephraim—367, Har Gilo—315, Tkoa—261, Shilo—253, Kochav Yaakov-250, and Geva Binyamin with 210 new residents.

The overall growth figures for 2013—4.3%, actually represent a small drop compared with 2012, which was 4.8%.

Sources in Yesha Council happily point out that these amazing growth rates have been achieved despite the delays and freezes in construction bids and land-use planning, and despite higher real estate prices across Judea and Samaria due to the diminishing available stocks.

Yesha Council Chairman Avi Roeh told Srugim: “Our area has become very attractive to young couples, and demand supercedes supply. This can also be seen in the growth of the number of students in the schools.”

Roeh added: “We’re working on developing old and new settlements and increasing the number of educational institutions across Yesha. It’s our way of supporting the State of Israel by raising the housing supply and bringing down apartment costs for young couples.”

Canada’s Employment minister Jason Kenney has countered the BDS ‘Boycott SodaStream” campaign by buying one of the company’s soda-making machines and crediting Oxfam for the idea.

Oxfam has dumped Scarlett Johansson as an ambassador because she signed up to promote SodaStream whose 20 factories around the world include one in the industrial area of Maaleh Adumim, located in Greater Israel, Post-1967 Israel, or the Occupied Territories, depending on your political point of view.

BDS has been promoting the boycott, but its vocal protests have caused rumbles that are turning into an avalanche of positive publicity for SodaStream and Israel because of the company’s policy of equal opportunity for Palestinian Authority Arabs.

Instead of a boycott, there is “buy-cott,” and Keeney tweeted on Monday, “Bought a nice @SodaStream unit at the @HudsonsBayCo. Thanks to @Oxfam for the tip. #Buycott #BDSfail #GoScarJo”

Kenney said on Canadian television, “I’ve given money to Oxfam in the past because I thought they were there to help poor people, not to marginalize Israelis and make Palestinians unemployed.” He added that “all the nutters at Oxfam” also marginalize “Palestinian people” who get paid four times more at SodaStream than they would earn working for factories run by Palestinian Authority Arabs.

Kenney also had some choice words for leftist groups’ “anti-Israel obsession” while they while they ignore countries such as Iran, which executes political dissidents and homosexuals.

Palestinian Authority Arabs beat a group of Jews for two hours on Tuesday before the IDF arrived at a PA village to rescue them following violent clashes between both sides.

A few facts in the clash are clear. Border Police arrived at the Esh Kodesh outpost in Samaria to uproot an olive grove, and a stone-throwing fight developed between Jews and Arabs, who have been at constant war with the Esh Kodesh residents in recent years.

It also is known that the IDF rescued the Jews from a house under construction at the Arab village of Ousra.

The Arabs said they chased after the Jews, who allegedly throw rocks at Arab farmers and fled to the unfinished Arab house, where they were overpowered by the villagers.

One Arab admitted to Reuters that Arabs savagely beat 15 Jews with fists and sticks, some of them bleeding profusely, until the IDF arrived to rescue them from the attackers.

A resident of Esh Kodesh said they fled from the Arab rock throwers, but Ousra villagers accused the Jews of a “price tag” attack following the Border Police action. They gave no details of the alleged attack.

The IDF told The Jewish Press, “The Border Police carried out an order at Esh Kodesh, and Jews and Arabs started throwing rocks at each other. There were some injuries.”

It did not confirm or deny the rescue operation and had no knowledge of a “price tag” attack.

Israel radio interviewed one of the Esh Kodesh victims, who said a group of Jew were walking on a road when an Arab mob attacked them with rocks. The Jews then ran away to the unfinished house and called the IDF. Before the soldiers arrived, the Jews were beaten, one of them unconscious.

It is clear that land was the spark that set off the clash.

The Palestinian Authority claims all of the land in Judea and Samaria, especially that in “outposts” that have not been approved by the Defense Ministry.

The Obama administration considers Jews in all of Judea and Samaria and most of Jerusalem as “illegitimate,” regardless of whether they live on an outpost or in the Ramot or Gilo neighborhoods of Jerusalem. The result of bloated Arab expectations and an army policy of “let’s not disturb the peace process” has been the recent escalation of terror and violence, especially over land.

On Monday, Arabs clashed with Jews who were farming their land on the Mitzpeh Yair outpost in the southern Hebron Hills. Three of the Jews were hospitalized after having been beaten by the Arabs.

Kerry promises Israel the US will make sure Israelis are safe with a Palestinian Authority state, but who will protect the Arabs from themselves?

Two frightened Palestinians escaping a Palestinian Authority hit squad sought and found refuge in the Israeli community of Beit Aryeh in Samaria Monday night,

They said a group of Palestinian security officers were chasing them with the intent of killing them, and Israeli security forces were alerted. The fleeing Arabs were allowed in the community after a thorough search to make sure they were not carrying weapons.

The hit squad later arrived at the community and identified itself as as PA special forces. Israeli police also arrived on the scene and and found a loaded weapon, which is forbidden by PA police and soldiers in Area C.

Regional Council Head Avi Naim said, “We have gotten used to providing support to the Palestinians, but this is the first time we have encountered such an incident of Palestinians being chased by the Palestinian security forces and taking cover in a nearby Jewish community – I hope this is not a sign of a new developing reality in Judea and Samaria. Livni and Kerry – you have been warned.”

Naim added that Beit Aryeh is close to the Arab village of Luban and that the relations between the two communities are positive and productive. “We invite each other to communal events,” Naim said. “We are interested in good neighborly relations with anyone who wishes to do so as well. I am glad the residents of Beit Aryeh have good relations with the residents of Luban; these good relations are well known in the region and serve as a source for inspiration.”

Shortly after 8:30 PM on Tuesday, there was a drive-by shooting in Gush Etzion at some IDF troops.

The shooting took place at the junction between Maaleh Amos and Tekoa, which is east of Efrat.

No one was injured in the attack.

Police Officer Rami Ravid, who was stabbed in the back at Kikar Adam yesterday has lost his kidney.

It’s become apparent to all that Syria is the natural Arab state. Without a strong and powerful leader, anarchy and internecine murder swiftly develops.

This is not because Arabs are primitive, though in part it is because Islam is fundamentally a violent religion. The real reason is that the Arabs are not really one people, as the root word in Hebrew “Arev” attests to. Arev translates as mixture. The Arabs are in reality a mix of distinct sects, tribes and clans who don’t really like one another. When they are supposedly unified, it is only because a strong leader temporarily suppresses their independent identities and locks them together under his strong thumb.

Arab state after state proves this to be true.

This brings us to our first obvious question about the current peace process….

1) Who does Abbas actually represent in the peace talks? While Abbas controls the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria, he doesn’t control the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, as that is under control of a different group – a competing terrorist gang that not only doesn’t he speak for, but a gang who is prepared to overthrow him once conditions are right.

Abbas also doesn’t have the support of the Chamulot, the traditional clan and tribes, who despise him, and would also overthrow Abbas in a second if given the chance.

So if Israel negotiates with Abbas, when the reality is that he doesn’t represent Gaza, when he doesn’t represent the Chamulot, and in fact, since there haven’t been elections, we don’t even know if he represents the rest of the Arab citizens he rules, and he is likely to be overthrown soon, what value does his signature have?

The answer is nothing.

That brings us to the second question…

2) What will keep the “West Bank” from turning into Syria? As we pointed out above, the so-called “Palestinians” are a mixture of different religious sects, tribes and clans, and Bedouin too, who all hate each other, if God forbid, Israel were to pull out the IDF further, we will quickly see a repeat of the Hamas takeover in Judea and Samaria. But this will end up as messy as Syria, when all the groups will start to kill each other to take over. The “West Bank” would quickly deteriorate, and it would be as if we had listened to Shimon Peres as his idiotic ideas to give away the Golan to Syria – pointless and dangerous.

What will stop this Syria-like collapse in the “West Bank”?

Again, the answer is nothing.

And that brings us to our third question and final question…

3) Why in the world would Abbas even want to make peace, when he knows that as soon as he does, his dead, mangled, and cannibalized carcass will be hauled through Bethlehem’s Manger Square by one of the many sects, clans, and tribes that want him dead, and will use this as an opportunity to attempt a coup?

The answer is, he does not.

Reaching peace in these peace talks is the last thing Abbas wants or needs. Ignoring for a moment that he will never obtain the terms of agreement that his cohorts and various friends and enemies are demanding, reaching a true peace agreement means his death, and no further access to his Swiss bank accounts.

For Abbas (or any other future “Palestinian” leader), nothing is better than the current situation. The continuation of the conflict provides him a lifeline (and access to his Swiss bank accounts).

What Abbas does need to get out of this, is a strengthening of his position vis a vis Hamas. The only subject of tangible value for him is the release of terrorists and baby killers.

“Palestinian” society is so sick, that the value they hold most dear, is the value of murdering Jewish babies, and those who murder Jewish women and children are their society’s heroes.

That is why releasing these baby-killers is their first and most non-negotiable demand.

That is why Abbas made it a requirement for talking peace.

Abbas expects nothing else from the talks. He wants nothing to succeed from the talks, but if he is being forced to talk, he can at least demand the one concession that he knows from experience Israel will give him that will temporarily buttress his position as the “Palestinian” leader before the talks collapse.