Do Palestinians in East Jerusalem Have Israeli Citizenship? About 9% Do
33,741 of 370,332 Arab residents of East Jerusalem held Israeli citizenship in July 2024. Almost 90% held permanent residency, on the Knesset’s figures.
About 9% of Arab residents of East Jerusalem, 33,741 of 370,332, held Israeli citizenship in July 2024, on the Population and Immigration Authority register as the Knesset Research and Information Centre published it in December 2024. Almost 90%, or 331,567 people, held permanent residency. Permanent residency carries a municipal vote but no Israeli passport and no Knesset vote. Its holders may apply for citizenship.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 370,332 | Arab residents of East Jerusalem on the Population and Immigration Authority register | July 2024 |
| 331,567 | Permanent residents among them, almost 90% | July 2024 |
| 33,741 | Israeli citizens among them, about 9% | July 2024 |
| 19,785 | Citizenship applications by Arab permanent residents, counted by year of filing | 2010 to 31 October 2024 |
| 6,266 | Of those applications, approved, 31.7% of 19,785 | Filed 2010 to October 2024, status at October 2024 |
| 785 | Residency statuses revoked | 2011 to 2024 |
Source: Knesset Research and Information Centre, Data on the Arab Population in East Jerusalem, 26 December 2024, drawing on Population and Immigration Authority register and application data.
33,741 of 370,332 Arab East Jerusalem residents held citizenship in 2024
The Population and Immigration Authority register records 33,741 citizens among 370,332 Arab residents of East Jerusalem in July 2024. The Knesset Research and Information Centre rounds the split to almost 90% permanent residents and 9% citizens. These are register entries, not census counts. The remaining residents hold temporary residency or a status still under review.
Permanent residency carries a municipal vote but no Knesset vote
The Knesset Research and Information Centre states that permanent residency gives its holder neither an Israeli passport nor a vote in Knesset elections. The status does carry the right to vote and to stand in municipal elections. It also carries entitlement to National Insurance and to state health insurance.
| Right | Carried by permanent residency |
|---|---|
| Israeli passport | No |
| Vote in Knesset elections | No |
| Vote and stand in municipal elections | Yes |
| National Insurance entitlement | Yes |
| State health insurance entitlement | Yes |
| Application for Israeli citizenship | Open to permanent residents |
Source: Knesset Research and Information Centre, December 2024.
Two instruments set out the area’s place in Israeli law. Section 11B of the Law and Administration Ordinance was adopted by the Knesset on 27 June 1967 and took effect that day. Translated from the Hebrew, it provides that “the law, jurisdiction and administration of the State” apply in any area of the Land of Israel that the Government sets by order.
Section 5 of Basic Law: Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel appears in the Knesset’s English translation, which the Knesset labels unofficial. It states that Jerusalem’s limits include “the whole area described in the addendum to the declaration of the expansion of the limits of the Jerusalem municipality of 20 Sivan 5727 (June 28, 1967)”.
6,266 of 19,785 citizenship applications filed since 2010 were approved
The Knesset Research and Information Centre counted 19,785 citizenship applications filed by Arab permanent residents of East Jerusalem from 2010 to 31 October 2024. By October 2024, 6,266 of them had been approved. This count runs by year of filing. One application may cover several people, so the figures count applications, not persons.
| Outcome at October 2024 | Applications | Share of 19,785 |
|---|---|---|
| Approved | 6,266 | 31.7% |
| Refused or delayed | 9,484 | 47.9% |
| No decision yet, or file closed | 4,035 | 20.4% |
Source: Knesset Research and Information Centre, December 2024, by year of filing.
Filings ran at 705 to 1,075 a year from 2010 to 2019, and roughly half of each year’s applications were approved. The paper attributes the 2021 rise to an enlarged appointment quota. Of the 2021 filings, 802 were approved, 23%, and 2,534 were refused or delayed, 72.6%.
The recent years are still open. At October 2024, 71.6% of 2023 applications and 82.8% of 2024 applications had no decision, so no approval rate can be read for filings from 2022 onward.
785 residency statuses were revoked from 2011 to 2024
The Knesset Research and Information Centre recorded 785 revocations of residency status among Arab residents of East Jerusalem from 2011 to 2024. The yearly count ranged from 13 in 2018 to 93 in 2015. The table’s title refers to 2010, but its rows begin in 2011.
| Measure | Revocations | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 785 | 2011 to 2024 |
| Highest year | 93 | 2015 |
| Lowest year | 13 | 2018 |
Source: Knesset Research and Information Centre, December 2024.
No Knesset figure separates refused applications from delayed ones
The Knesset Research and Information Centre reported refusals and delays as one combined category in both of its application tables. The paper publishes no split between the two and no count of refusals by ground. The East Jerusalem population office, as the paper quotes it, gives a delay where further information or checks are needed.
- By year of filing, 2010 to 31 October 2024: 9,484 applications refused or delayed, of 19,785 (47.9%).
- By year of decision, 2010 to 2024: 9,945 refusals or delays, of 16,694 decisions (59.6%), beside 6,749 approvals (40.4%).
- In 2024, by year of decision: 620 approvals and 1,855 refusals or delays.
- Refusals by ground: no figure published.
Which figures may not be added together?
The filing-year and decision-year counts may not be added or set against each other. The 6,266 approvals are counted by year of filing. The 6,749 approvals are counted by year of decision, regardless of when each application was filed. Applications are not persons. “Refused or delayed” may not be reported as refusals. The 370,332 base is the Population and Immigration Authority register at July 2024. The paper also prints a Central Bureau of Statistics base of 391,388 at the end of 2023, with census corrections, and the two bases may not be mixed in one ratio.
Questions readers ask
Can Palestinians in East Jerusalem vote in Israeli elections?
Permanent residents can vote and stand in Jerusalem’s municipal elections but cannot vote for the Knesset, the Knesset Research and Information Centre states. Citizens, 33,741 of them on the July 2024 register, hold the national vote that comes with citizenship.
Do East Jerusalem residents get an Israeli passport?
Permanent residency does not carry an Israeli passport, the Knesset Research and Information Centre states.
Do permanent residents in East Jerusalem get health insurance and National Insurance?
Yes. The Knesset Research and Information Centre states that permanent residency carries entitlement to National Insurance and state health insurance.
Can a permanent resident apply for Israeli citizenship?
Yes. The Knesset Research and Information Centre states that permanent residents may apply. It counted 19,785 applications filed from 2010 to 31 October 2024. The general rules for naturalisation are covered in who can get Israeli citizenship.
How long does a citizenship application take?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre published no processing time. It reports that at October 2024, 71.6% of applications filed in 2023 and 82.8% of those filed in 2024 had no decision.
Why did citizenship applications rise in 2021?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre attributes the 2021 rise, to 3,490 filings, to an enlarged appointment quota. That explanation is the paper’s own.
How many citizenship decisions were made in 2024?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre recorded 620 approvals and 1,855 refusals or delays decided in 2024, counted by year of decision.
Does one citizenship application cover one person?
Not always. The Knesset Research and Information Centre states that one application may cover several people, so its application counts are not counts of persons.
How many East Jerusalem residents hold temporary residency?
The Population and Immigration Authority register records 4,117 Arab residents of East Jerusalem with temporary residency in July 2024. Another 907 had a status under review.
How many residency statuses were revoked in 2015?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre recorded 93 revocations in 2015, the highest year in its 2011 to 2024 table.
When did Israeli law begin to apply in East Jerusalem?
The Knesset adopted section 11B of the Law and Administration Ordinance on 27 June 1967. Under that section, the State’s law, jurisdiction and administration apply in any area the Government sets by order. The municipal-expansion declaration that Basic Law: Jerusalem cites is dated 28 June 1967.
Does the Basic Law on Jerusalem mention East Jerusalem by name?
No. The Basic Law states that Jerusalem’s limits include the area described in the 28 June 1967 municipal-expansion declaration. The words “East Jerusalem” do not appear in the Knesset’s English translation.
What is the Central Bureau of Statistics figure for East Jerusalem’s Arab population?
The Knesset Research and Information Centre published a Central Bureau of Statistics figure of 391,388 at the end of 2023, with census corrections. It is a different base from the register’s 370,332 at July 2024.
Sources
- Knesset, 1980, amended 2000. Basic Law: Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel. Unofficial English translation including amendments through 1 May 2022, with the Law and Administration Ordinance (Amendment No. 11) Law, 5727-1967, Sefer HaChukkim. https://main.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/documents/BasicLawsPDF/BasicLawJerusalem.pdf and https://fs.knesset.gov.il/6/law/6_lsr_210248.pdf. Official or primary record.
- Knesset Research and Information Centre, 2024. Data on the Arab Population in East Jerusalem (נתונים על האוכלוסייה הערבית במזרח ירושלים). 26 December 2024, on Population and Immigration Authority and Central Bureau of Statistics data. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/globaldocs/MMM/8c56802e-d583-ef11-a851-005056aa1f91/2_8c56802e-d583-ef11-a851-005056aa1f91_11_20794.pdf. Official or primary record.
