Arab localities in Israel

Map of Arabic speaking localities in Israel. This map includes East Jerusalem and Golan Heights, neither of which are internationally recognized parts of Israel.

Arab localities in Israel include all population centers with a 50% or higher Arab population in Israel. East Jerusalem and Golan Heights are not internationally recognized parts of Israel proper but have been included in this list.

According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics census in 2010, "the Arab population lives in 134 towns and villages. About 44 percent of them live in towns (compared to 81 percent of the Jewish population); 48 percent live in villages with local councils (compared to 9 percent of the Jewish population). Four percent of the Arab citizens live in small villages with regional councils, while the rest live in unrecognized villages (the proportion is much higher, 31 percent in the Negev)".[1] The Arab population in Israel is located in five main areas: Galilee (54.6% of total Israeli Arabs), Triangle (23.5% of total Israeli Arabs), Golan Heights, East Jerusalem, and Northern Negev (13.5% of total Israeli Arabs).[1] Around 8.4% of Israeli Arabs live in officially mixed Jewish-Arab cities (excluding Arab residents in East Jerusalem), including Haifa, Lod, Ramle, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Acre, Nof HaGalil, and Ma'alot Tarshiha.[2]

In 2021, there were 163 localities in which all residents are Arab citizens of Israel, 69 of these are Arab local councils and 12 are Arab city councils.[3][4] According to the Israel Democracy Institute about 49.1% of Israeli Arabs live in Arab local councils, 30.9% live in Arab city councils and 8.3% live in officially Mixed cities.[3] Another 5.5% of Arab citizens live in 47 small localities that are incorporated into regional councils, 4.2% live in unrecognized villages (mostly in the Negev), and 1.8% live in cities with Jewish majority (including West Jerusalem).[3] The percentages do not including East Jerusalem Arab residents.[3]

The city of Acre has an Arab minority of 30.1%, while its Old City is 95% Arab. While Arabs constitute 11% of Haifa's total population, they make up 70% of Lower Haifa's residents.[5] In 2011, Jaffa has an Arab population of 30.3%, Lod is 24.3% Arab, while Ramla is 22.2% Arab.[6] In 2015, 23% of the population of Nof HaGalil was Arab.[7]

According to Ha'aretz in 2015, only 16,000 Arabs are thought to be living in 16 localities not officially defined as mixed cities, or in Jewish neighborhoods of Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.[8] According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, a sizeable percentage of Arabs lives in the Jewish majority cities of Eilat (5% Arab), Carmiel (4%), Qiryat Shemona (3%), Arad (3%), Beersheva (3%), Nahariyya (2%), Safed (2%) and Tiberias (2%).[9]

  1. ^ a b "Housing Transformation within Urbanized Communities: The Arab Palestinians in Israel". Geography Research Forum. 27 February 2016. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Topic: Mixed Cities in Israel" (PDF). Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues. 20 June 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d Haddad Haj-Yahya, Nasreen (2021). "Statistical Report on Arab Society in Israel: 2021". Israel Democracy Institute.
  4. ^ "Statistical Report on Arab Society in Israel 2021" (PDF). Israel Democracy Institute: 6-8. 17 March 2021.
  5. ^ The Arab Population in Israel. Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. November 2002. p. 3.
  6. ^ "opic: Mixed Cities in Israel" (PDF). Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues. 20 June 2014.
  7. ^ Shpigel, Noa (August 22, 2017). "This Israeli mixed Arab-Jewish city is in denial". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  8. ^ Sadeh, Shuki (2015-12-25). "A Growing Arab Middle Class Makes a Home in Jewish Cities". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2022-05-25.: "Some 16,000 Arabs are estimated to be living in 16 cities not officially defined as mixed, or in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods of big cities such as Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv."
  9. ^ Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, "Settlements".