Who are the people involved in the Israel and Palestine conflict?
Popular opinions vary widely, ranging from the reasoning that the conflict is between Jews and Muslims, Zionists and terrorists, to an Indigenous population versus a group of people who very recently decided to call themselves a "People". Delving into recent demographic data is crucial to understand the current demographics. We will then use available demographic data to discuss who is currently involved in the conflict.
Jewish vs. Israeli
Is the Palestine and Israel conflict a religious war between Jewish people and Muslims?
To answer this, it’s crucial to understand the distinction between being Jewish and being Israeli. According to Britannica.com, a Jewish person is a member of a worldwide group that is part of the ancient Jewish people, while an Israeli is a citizen of Israel. This distinction is key to understanding the diverse identities involved in the conflict.
Israel’s Population
Let’s take a closer look at Israel’s population. According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, as of the end of 2022, the country’s population was 73.6% Jewish, 21.1% Arab, and 5.3% others. This ‘others’ category includes non-Arab Christians, members of other faiths, and those who do not identify with any religion. Understanding these demographics is crucial to understanding the diverse perspectives in the Israel and Palestine conflict.
Israel’s Population Breakdown By Ethnicity
Although the majority of Israelis have Jewish ethnicity, there are a significant number of minorities who do not have Jewish ethnicity in Israel. Therefore, being an Israeli and being Jewish are not synonymous because over 25% of Israelis are not Jewish.
Comparing Israel’s population by ethnicity and religion yields similar results. The United States Department of State’s ‘International Religious Freedom Report for 2022’ cites Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics 2021 data as stating that the Israeli population is “approximately 73.8% Jewish, 18% Muslim, 1.9% Christian, 1.6% Druze, and 5% other.”
Israel’s Population Breakdown By Religion
The report goes on to state that “58% of [Israel’s] Jewish citizens do not affiliate with any religious group, 20% are Zionist Orthodox, 11% are ultra-Orthodox, 5% reform, 4% conservative, and 2% are national Orthodox”.
This breakdown demonstrates that although the majority of Israelis are ethnic Jewish and Jewish as a religion, most Jewish people in the country are not religious. One can attribute the claim to being Jewish as a religion while simultaneously being non-affiliated with any religion to the fact that many consider being Jewish as an ethno-religion. In short, the majority of Israel’s religious population are secular Jews.
Palestine’s Population
Let’s review the available data for the population in Palestine. Data in Palestine is divided between the West Bank and Gaza. Ethnic data is not available for Palestine.
According to the CIA’s website, the West Bank population is “approximately 82.5% Muslim, 13% Jewish, 1.75% Christian, and less than 1% is unspecified or unaffiliated”.
Palestine’s Population Breakdown By Religion
The CIA website lists the demographic for the Gaza Strip as 98.5% Muslim and less than 1% Christian, unspecified, and unaffiliated. While the West Bank has a sizeable Jewish religious population, the majority of the religious population in the West Bank and Palestine are Muslim.
Comparing the available demographic data between Israel and Palestine can be problematic if one is not careful because the Palestinian demographic data is centered on religion. In contrast, the Israeli data is primarily centered on ethnicity.
Ethnic breakdown is not available for Palestine; therefore, although it is not ideal, it is best to use religion to compare the demographics between Palestine and Israel to compare similar datasets. As shown above, most Palestineans are Muslims, while most Israelis are secular.
Using religion instead of ethnicity to identify a population is not an ideal metric because, unlike ethnicity, religion can change; for example, the people of Palestine can become agnostic over the next 50 years. However, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, United Nations, and United States government websites use religion as the primary demographic metric for Palestine; therefore, we have to use what’s available.
In summary, using demographic data that defines the current population on the ground, the Israel - Palestine conflict is between Muslims who reside in Palestine and secular, predominately Jewish people in Israel.
However, it is essential to note that there have been significant changes in populations since the current Israel - Hamas war started; however, it is still important to understand historical demographic information to fully understand the complexities of who is involved in the Israel - Palestine conflict.
Visit our Tableau page for an interactive Detailed Historical Population Analysis.
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Sources cited:
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Jew." Encyclopedia Britannica, November 2, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jew-people.
"Israeli." The Britannica Dictionary. Accessed December 19, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Israeli.
"The Global Religious Landscape: Jews." Pew Research Center. Accessed November 9, 2023. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-jew/#:~:text=More%20than%20four%2Dfifths%20of,between%201%25%20and%202%25).
"ISRAEL 2022 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT." U.S.Department of State. Accessed November 9, 2023. https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/441219-ISRAEL-2022-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf.
"Population of Israel on the Eve of 2023." Central Bureau of Stastics. State of Israel, December 29, 2022. https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/mediarelease/DocLib/2022/426/11_22_426e.pdf.
"Explore All Countries - Israel." CIA The World Factbook. November 1, 2023. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/israel/#.
"Explore All Countries - West Bank." CIA The World Factbook. November 1, 2023. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/west-bank/.
"Explore All Countries - Gaza Strip." CIA The World Factbook. November 1, 2023. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/west-bank/.
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