Is Israel An Apartheid State?

Approximately 2.1 million Palestinian Arabs hold Israeli citizenship, constituting the country's largest ethnic minority while navigating a complex identity as both Israeli by law and Palestinian by heritage. About 150,000 of their ancestors remained within the borders of the newly established state in 1948, avoiding the displacement that affected roughly 750,000 other Palestinians.

DID YOU KNOW?

There are effectively zero Israeli civilians living in the Gaza Strip today. Israel unilaterally evacuated all
its settlements and removed its civilian population from Gaza in 2005, and no Jewish residents have lived there since the dismantlement was completed in September of that year.

While hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers reside in the West Bank and East Jerusalem (estimated between 517,000 and 775,000 depending on inclusion criteria), the Gaza Strip has remained devoid of Israeli settlers for over two decades.

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Approximately 12,700 Palestinians married to Israelis currently live in Israel, mostly holding temporary residency permits that require constant renewal. These individuals, predominantly spouses of Arab-Israeli citizens, face significant legal restrictions, including limitations on driving, opening bank accounts, and the risk of deportation if their Israeli spouse dies or they divorce.

While official statistics on the total number of marriages are limited, estimates suggest there are "many thousands" of unions between Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza.

Marriages between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians from the territories are described as "even more rare," with some estimates citing fewer than 20 such couples, whereas marriages between Jewish Israelis and Arab citizens of Israel are more common but still considered relatively rare socially.

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The limits on Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens stem from the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, a temporary order first enacted in 2003 that bars Israeli Arabs from extending citizenship or residency to spouses from the West Bank and Gaza. The Knesset has repeatedly renewed this legislation, most recently in March 2022, making family reunification nearly impossible for thousands of couples.

Security Justifications: Proponents, including the Israeli Interior Ministry and security agencies, argue the law is necessary to prevent terror attacks, citing instances during the Second Intifada where Palestinian spouses utilized entry permits to carry out violence. Supporters contend that standard security vetting is
insufficient to guarantee safety and that the measure protects Israeli citizens from potential recruitment by armed groups.

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Approximately 165,000 Palestinian workers from the West Bank and Gaza were employed in Israel on the eve of the October 7, 2023 war, comprising roughly 130,000 legal permit holders and 35,000 undocumented workers. Following the outbreak of the conflict, Israel sharply reduced this number to just 15,000 permitted workers, primarily restricted to settlements, while banning entry for the vast majority of the previous workforce. Reports indicated that some Gazan workers had supplied Hamas with key information and maps used in the assault.

By 2025, the number of permits issued for work inside Israel had risen slightly to approximately 8,000, though more than 10,000 Palestinians continued to work in West Bank settlements.

DID YOU KNOW?

An Internet search produced no available data regarding the number of Israeli citizens working in Gaza or other Palestinian territories.

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Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship have formal political rights equal to Jewish citizens, including the right to vote and run for office.

The Knesset has 120 seats, and the number of Palestinian citizens of Israel (often referred to as Arab
Israelis) serving as members varies by election cycle. In the current composition following the November 2022 election, there are 10 Arab members: 5 from the Ra'am party and 5 from the Hadash–Ta'al alliance.

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Jewish people are effectively prohibited from entering or residing in Gaza and areas under Palestinian Authority (PA) control in the West Bank. In Gaza, Hamas enforces a ban on Jews living in the territory, a policy established after its 2007 takeover, and the area is subject to a generalized closure that restricts all movement of people and goods. In the West Bank, while the Oslo Accords theoretically guarantee Jewish access to specific holy sites in Area A, practical entry for Jews is severely restricted due to security concerns and the threat of violence, with reports indicating that Jews entering PA-controlled areas risk being killed or kidnapped.

Legal restrictions in Palestinian territories explicitly target Jewish land ownership and presence. The Palestinian Authority has laws that forbid Palestinians from selling land to Jews, withs ome sources citing the death penalty as a potential consequence for violations. While the Oslo Accords stipulate that the PA is
responsible for protecting 12 listed Jewish holy sites and ensuring free access, the PA has at times failed to honor these commitments, and the Israeli Supreme Court has noted that police may restrict Jewish prayer rights at sites like the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in the name of public order.

While Jews face exclusion from PA and Hamas-controlledt erritories, Israeli authorities govern Jewish settlers in the West Bank under Israeli civil law, granting them rights and privileges denied to Palestinians living in the same territory, such as freedom of movement and access to land.