Arab citizens of Israel
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
1,658,000 Over 278,000 in East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights (2012) 20.7% of Israeli population |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Israel
|
|
| Languages | |
| Palestinian Arabic, Bedouin dialects and Hebrew | |
| Religion | |
| Islam 83.8% (mostly Sunni), Christianity 8.4% and Druze 8.2% |
Arab citizens of Israel or Arab population of Israel are Israeli citizens, whose cultural and linguistic heritage or ethnic identity is Arab. The majority of the Arabs in Israel are Muslim but some are Christian or Druze. Many identify as Palestinian and commonly self-designate themselves as Palestinian citizens of Israel. The traditional vernacular of most Arab citizens, irrespective of religion, is the Palestinian dialect of Arabic. Most Arab citizens of Israel are functionally bilingual, their second language being Modern Hebrew. By religious affiliation, most are Muslim, particularly of the Sunni branch of Islam. There is a significant Arab Christian minority from various denominations as well as the Druze, among other religious communities.
According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, the Arab population in 2013 was estimated at 1,658,000, representing 20.7% of the country's population. The majority of these identify themselves as Arab or Palestinian by nationality and Israeli by citizenship. Many have family ties to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. Negev Bedouins and the Druze tend to identify more as Israelis than other Arab citizens of Israel.
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