Israel’s Population Reaches 9.5 Mln

Religious people make up 35 percent of the population (AFP)
Religious people make up 35 percent of the population (AFP)
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Israel’s Population Reaches 9.5 Mln

Religious people make up 35 percent of the population (AFP)
Religious people make up 35 percent of the population (AFP)

Ahead of the Jewish New Year, Israel’s population stands at 9.593 million residents, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) said in data released on Tuesday.

Up to 45 percent of the population are secular, 35 percent are religious, and 19 percent are traditional.

In 1948, when Israel was established, the population of Israel numbered 806,000 people, among them 154,000 Arabs (19 percent) who are known as “48 Palestinians”.

The Bureau observed around 355,000 Arabs who don’t hold the Israeli nationality but they are Palestinians in the occupied East Jerusalem (333,000), and Syrians in the occupied Golan (25,000).

Based on the data, 73.9 percent live in main cities while the rest in settlements.

The population increased by 187,000 (2 percent) last year. The past year also saw the arrival of around 60,000 new immigrants to Israel.

Around 74 percent of Israelis live in cities, 15 percent live in villages of local councils, 10 percent in regional councils, and five percent in “unacknowledged” regions.

The Bureau revealed that 67 percent are satisfied with their economic condition, while 12 percent complained of poverty.

Up to 65 percent of Israelis live in houses owned by them, knowing that the prices of houses hiked by 13 percent in the past year. The rest live in leased apartments and pay around $1,200 per month.

Israelis are identified as 45 percent secular, 19 percent traditional, 14 percent traditional-religious, 11 percent religious and 10.5 percent Haredi.

Throughout the past year, 185,000 babies were born in Israel. Meanwhile, marriages reached 40,000 and divorces 15,000.

Average life expectancy for Israeli men is 80.5 years compared to 84.6 years for women.



Mayor from Türkiye Main Opposition Party is Detained over Alleged Ties to Kurdish Militants

A supporter of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan waves a Turkish flag during a pro-government protest in Cologne, Germany July 31, 2016. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler
A supporter of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan waves a Turkish flag during a pro-government protest in Cologne, Germany July 31, 2016. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler
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Mayor from Türkiye Main Opposition Party is Detained over Alleged Ties to Kurdish Militants

A supporter of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan waves a Turkish flag during a pro-government protest in Cologne, Germany July 31, 2016. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler
A supporter of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan waves a Turkish flag during a pro-government protest in Cologne, Germany July 31, 2016. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

A mayor from Türkiye's main opposition party was detained Wednesday on suspicion of being a member of a banned Kurdish militant group, state-run media reported.

Ahmet Ozer, mayor of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district and a member of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, was arrested by anti-terrorist police over alleged connections to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.

The arrest comes as Türkiye is debating a tentative peace process to end a 40-year conflict between the PKK and the Turkish state that has led to tens of thousands of deaths.

Ozer, 64, is a former academic originally from Van in eastern Türkiye. He was elected mayor of Esenyurt, a western suburb on Istanbul’s European side, in March local elections.

The state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said an investigation showed Ozer had maintained contacts with PKK figures for more than 10 years.

His home, vehicle and office in the municipality were searched early Wednesday as part of the investigation.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel condemned the arrest as “the ugly game, the big conspiracy” and linked it to recent political developments.

“The treatment of a scientist, opinion leader and politician who was elected with the great favor of the voters of Esenyurt ... is unfair and the allegations are baseless,” he said on social media, The AP reported.

Politicians and members of Türkiye's pro-Kurdish movement have frequently been targeted over alleged links to the PKK, which is considered a terror organization by Türkiye, the US and the European Union.

Legislators have been stripped of their parliamentary seats and mayors removed from office. Several lawmakers as well of thousands of party members have been jailed on terror-related charges since 2016.

Other opposition parties have been largely unscathed but the CHP metropolitan mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, is currently appealing a prison sentence and political ban imposed by a court last December for “insulting” members of Türkiye's election board in 2019.