According to a census report released in Israel ahead of Independence Day, Jews make up 73.5% of the country's population, while Arabs make up 21%. Compared to the data published on Independence Day last year, this is a decrease among both populations, with the Jews numbering 73.9% of the total population in 2022.
Meanwhile, the demographic group which recorded the largest increase is the population is those defined as “undefined”, who now make up 5.5% of the country's citizens. On the 74th Independence Day, last year, the population of this group numbered approximately 478,000 citizens, while this year, on the 75th Independence Day, there was a significant increase to 534,000 citizens, approximately 56,000 people. The vast majority of these which Israeli census studies struggle with putting into a category are refugees from the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
At our 75th Independence Day our country is growing! 🇮🇱
— Avraham Israeli Zionist 🇮🇱🇨🇦 (@IsraeliAvraham) April 24, 2023
Israel's population is now 9,727,000, including 7,145,000 Jews (73.5% of the total), 2,048,000 Arabs (21.0%), and 534,000 others (5.5%). https://t.co/yjOldDAwNl
Dr. Yona Sharki from the Center for Immigration Policy, who processed and analyzed the data, expressed his concern at the new trend: "The dramatic trends of reducing the Jewish majority in Israel in favor of increasing the population of the ‘others’ who are not Arabs and are not Jewish, are very concerning. The main non-Jewish immigration to Israel is ‘Aliyah’ according to the Law of Return, which receives encouragement from the official immigration bodies, including the Nativ organization and the Jewish Agency. As long as elected officials do not act to amend the Law of Return, the trend of shrinking the Jewish majority will only increase." It should be noted that according to the Israeli Law of Return, all those with at least one Jewish grandparent may become citizens; this is in contrast with rabbinical law which requires a Jewish mother to be considered Jewish.
Dr. Sharki also added that there is an intensification of the phenomenon of non-Jewish immigration to Israel. "The public in Israel is sensitive to the issue of illegal immigration, but it should be understood that the main cause of non-Jewish immigration to Israel is precisely the constitutional framework created by the Law of Return, which is why it is so urgent to amend the law," he explained.
Israel’s population nears 10 million, a 12-fold increase since state’s 1948 founding #Israel #population #IndependenceDAy https://t.co/85JAffnaG7 via @timesofisrael pic.twitter.com/zWweG1kKRj
— Eli Dror (@edrormba) April 24, 2023
Finally, he concluded his words: "The Independence Day of the State of Israel serves as a reminder of the basis of the existence of the State of Israel and its purpose - the state of the Jewish people, a state that is essentially both Jewish and democratic. The accelerated demographic trends that we have witnessed in recent decades and especially in recent years, put forward the vision of the identity of The State of Israel is in tangible danger."
