FAFO Report 151 Variations in Construction Traditionally the main material used in house construction in the occupied territories was either limestone or adobe. While limestone, taken from local quarries, is still favoured by more prosperous Palestinians and is required by law in most of Arab Jerusalem, cement has become the main material used in more recent construction.
All cement is imported from Israel and most is processed locally.
Production methods in construction tend to be labour intensive, often using unpaid family labour, capital short and, consequently, less industrialised and mechanised than in Israel. It has been estimated that building costs in the territories are about one half of costs in Israel. 3 Table 3.1 shows the regional variations in the use of construction material in housing. It should be noted that West Bank and Gaza camps have been separated into a single category. A terraced house, typical of camps in the occupied territories, is one that shares walls with an adjoining house.