There were only 27,000 existing housing units for Palestinians in East Jerusalem in 2001 for a population of 210,000 people. An additional 21,000 were needed to alleviate the shortage.

• That shortage has led to a sharp increase in rental rates and has forced many legal Jerusalemites to relocate to the West Bank, thus relinquishing their rights.
• Palestinian housing has continued to be built at about 50 units a year while Israeli housing has accelerated at an exponential pace with huge settlements replacing whole Palestinian neighborhoods.
• There is one home for every 7.5 Palestinians and one home for every 3.3 Israelis.
• 20% of Palestinians live in homes with more than 3 people per room. Only 1.5% of Israelis live in such homes.

• Israeli government and city policies have significantly reduced the number of housing units available for Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
• Forty-four percent of East Jerusalem is zoned as "Green Areas," meaning that the land cannot be developed at all by those who own it.
• The TPS (Town Planning Scheme) is a cumbersome and restrictive ten-step process that must be completed before a building permit is granted for any home. The process is so costly and difficult that property owners cannot navigate it without expensive legal counsel. Thus only about 150 building permits are granted per year.