al-Fahm displays a decidedly different reality from its thriving pre-Nakba days. “Umm al-Fahm had not developed organically like other cities in the world,”300 but resembles a village that evenly grew as a result of socioeconomic interference, “especially in terms of overcrowding, [and stifled by] customs and traditions.”301 Now constricted to 20 percent of its original lands,302 with 10 times the population, it is the third largest Palestinian community inside the Green Line, after Nazareth and Rahat.303 It has one of the youngest populations (47 percent under 20 years old),304 one of the poorest (ranked 19 out of 255 localities in 1948 Palestine in the 2013 socioeconomic index),305 and one of the most overcrowded, with severe housing shortages leading to population transfer out of the city.306 3.2.2. Fragmentation to Stifle Political Unity and Resistance Umm al-Fahm is considered a city of national struggle and a significant center for Palestinian resistance […], its geographical proximity to the occupied West Bank, its position as a linkage point in the area of the Palestinian Galilee, and its dense Palestinian population are additional factors that contribute to Israel’s targeted policies towards Umm al-Fahm. Fahmawi Youth Movement Interview: Umm al-Fahm, 7 November 2019 The process of Umm al-Fahm’s fragmentation originates in Israel’s manipulation of the armistice lines, which reshaped the boundaries of the city for the purpose of containing its residents and confiscating its lands. The fragmentation of Umm al-Fahm from villages and towns in the West Bank was instant. Al-Lajjun, where the Central Bus Station with routes running to Haifa and Jenin had been located, was depopulated almost immediately by the Israeli military, ceasing all services into the 300 Focus group – Fahmawi Youth Movement, interview conducted by BADIL, Umm al-Fahm, 7 November 2019. 301 Ibid. 302 The municipal area of Umm Al-Fahm encompasses 27 km2, which increased by 1.6 km2 for development purposes in 2016. OECD, supra 282, 122. 303 Israel Central Bureau of Statistics [ICBS], “Population in the Localities 2018,” 25 August 2019, available at: “Population in the Localities 2018” [accessed 28 February 2020]. 304 OECD, supra 282, 127. 305 Less than 50 percent of residents are income earners, compared to 63.84 percent nationwide. ICBS, “Local Authorities, in Alphabetical Order of Hebrew Names: Socio-Economic Index Value 2013, Rank and Cluster, and Variables used in the Computation of the Index,” available at: https://old.cbs.gov.il/ publications17/socio_eco13_1694/pdf/t01.pdf 306 Since 2005, outmigration has consistently exceeded inmigration. OECD, supra 282, 123. 77