Blended cities in Israel

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article presents a new conceptual and theoretical outlook on the municipal-demographic phenomenon of mixed cities, in which minority groups penetrate homogenous spaces. The findings show that the penetration of Jewish cities by Arab minorities in Israel has become widespread – especially in the periphery of the country. While the State and local authorities view this phenomenon as problematic – from a national, municipal, and demographic point of view, their solutions are limited to programmes that encourage increased Jewish residence in these cities to preserve the existing demographic advantage. Many of these mixed cities are characterised by increased tension between Arabs and Jews, decreased socioeconomic status, negative migration balance, and Arab minorities settling in the outskirts of the city or weaker neighbourhoods.