As Israeli population soars, dire population density problems arise

Israel's birthrate, once a method for tactical survival, is now threatening the nation's population density

Israel's increasing population, once considered as a method of survival in the hostile region is not starting to increase even more at an alarming rate threatening the country's economy.

HOLLYWOOD, CA  (Catholic Online) - Israel's population has doubled in the last 25 years and holds a current birth rate at an average of three babies per woman's lifetime. The increasing birthrate in Israel poses a threatening national problem to the country as it continues to affect the economy. 

Three babies per Israeli woman's lifetime is double the fertility rate of other industrialized countries in the OECD. The increased birth rate of the nation plus the heavy influx of Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union has made the country's population twice as large as it was only 25 years ago.

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Israel's birth rate is even higher than that of the other Arab communities surrounding Israel. It is also more than double among the ultra-Orthodox Jews. The Arab and Jewish communities are also considered the least active in the workforce, which has resulted in an economic downturn. 
The country's current population of 8.4 million is estimated to reach 15.6 million by 2059 and 20.6 million in a high-case-scenario. This could mean that the small country would no longer have the ability to house its inhabitants.
"Israel is on the road to an ecological, social and quality of life disaster because as the population density rises it becomes more violent, congested and unpleasant to live in and with absolutely no room for any species other than humans," explained Alon Tal, a professor at Ben-Gurion University's Institutes for Desert Research and also the founder of the Green Movement party.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel currently has 352 people per sq km -up from 1990's 215- and is estimated to reach 501-880 people per square kilometer by the year 2059. 
If the nearly empty Negev desert is excluded from the area -an area that occupies more than half of Israel- the population density would jump as high as 980 people per square kilometer, just a little below that of Bangladesh.
Unfortunately, Israel's government policies continue to encouraging a high birth rate. 
Tammy Gannot, an attorney with the Israel Union for Environmental Defense, believes the population growth has already affected land and water resources while the government seeks the simplest short-term solutions.
Israel invested billions in desalination plants to help alleviate possible water crises but the plants take up a lot of energy and square footage the nation can no longer afford to lose.

To help with housing shortages, the government is looking into fast-track approval for building permits that have the potential to set aside environmental concerns.
20,000 Chinese workers are to be brought to Israel to help with construction but Yahoo News questions whether housing is as big of an issue as employment in the region.

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