Druze in Israel

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Israeli Druze or Druze Israelis (Arabic: الدروز الإسرائيليون; Hebrew: דְּרוּזִים יִשְׂרְאֵלִים) are an ethnoreligious minority among the Arab citizens of Israel. They preserve the Arabic language and culture as central components of their identity, and Arabic remains their primary language. Survey data indicates that roughly 70% of Druze identify as ethnically Arab, and that Israeli Druze prioritize their identity first as Druze, second as Arab, and third as Israeli. Few Druze identify as Palestinian. Israel has the world's third-largest Druze population, after Syria and Lebanon. At the end of 2022, there were 150,000 Druze people living within Israel, representing a ten-fold increase since 1948. Druze comprise 1.6% of the total population of Israel. The majority of Israeli Druze are concentrated in northern Israel, especially in Galilee and Carmel. They are also found in Golan Heights, which is Syrian territory occupied by Israel. In 1957, at the request of Druze leaders, the Israeli government...

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