Religion In Israel And The Occupied Territories
Summary |
Israel
Israel has a population of 7,150,000 inhabitants (census of April 2007 ), among which 76% of Jews (5,415,000 inhabitants) and 20% of Israeli Arabs (or 1.43 million people, mostly Muslims, but also a Christian minority ), which must be added 306,000 new immigrants who are registered with the Ministry of Interior as "non-Jews" and constitute 4% of the Israeli population. Foreign workers living in Israel are not included in these figures are estimated at 150,000.
Israel is the only country with a Jewish majority, even with more than 2% Jewish population. The Jewish population of Israel is from the world: there are the " sabra "(Israeli-born, recent immigrants or parents whose families had lived for centuries in Palestine ) of recent immigrants who made their aliyah ("ascent" , that is to say back: a large part comes from the former USSR , but also France , the United States , to Argentina , etc..).
Israel also includes Druze speaking Arabic , a community circus and a very small community of Armenian. Unlike the vast majority of Israeli Arabs , Druze and Circassians chose not to be exempted from military service, and many Arab Bedouins and some other Arab Christians and even Muslims, serve as volunteers in the regular army.
According to the 2006 annual report made by the United States on religious freedom around the world .
Occupied Territories
The same report, the continuing violence since the start of the second Intifada has reduced religious practice in many parts of the occupied territories and damaged places of worship and sacred places. The policy of closure implemented in the occupied territories in response to attacks of terrorism, and especially the construction of a separation barrier by the Israeli government, severely limits access to holy sites and hinders the work of religious organizations. The report notes that the government tried to reduce the impact of discomfort on religious communities.
He also stressed that sharia is the main source of legislation adopted by the Palestinian Authority. Of police and magistrates of the Palestinian Authority would be coordinated with members of gangs to seize land from Christians.
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