Be afraid... Be very, very afraid!

Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics released its annual report on the make-up of Israel's population this week.

The Diagnosis:

The Jewish state is becoming less Jewish

It is important to note that the statistics listed below only include those with Israeli citizenship - and as such, these statistics are not referring to the "Palestinian" demographic threat, where one can (mistakenly) argue that Israel, by withdrawing from Judea and Samaria could attempt to solve the problem. The statistics below indicate that within the "Green Line" Israel is facing a serious demographic threat, whereby if Israel is to remain a Jewish State, she must be willing to face-up to some difficult questions:

1) Would Israel, in order to maintain its Jewish majority as well as "democratic" character, be willing to "Disengage" from the Galil, Negev and Eastern Jerusalem, all areas with significant Israeli Arab populations (and all within the "Green Line")?

2) Would Israel, in order to remain a Jewish State, be willing to limit the scope of its "democratic" character and principles towards non-Jews in Israel, in order to ensure not only a Jewish majority in Israel, but a Jewish character, that would be reflected in her policies and culture?

If the State of Israel (as a Jewish State) decides to do nothing, it is only a matter of time before she will cease to exist as a Jewish State and becomes a bi-national state of its citizens. This bi-national state will be free to rename itself Palestine, change the Law of Return to apply to Arabs and not Jews, and change national anthem from Hatikva to something more representative of this new state.

Without further ado...

From Yediot Achronot:

* By the end of 2004, Israel's population reached 6,869,500, including 5,237,600 Jews (76.2 percent), 1,340,200 Israeli Arabs (19.5 percent) and 291,700 "others" (4.2 percent).

* In 2004, the Jewish community constituted 76.2 percent of Israel's total population in comparison to 77.8 percent in 2000. However, the Muslim population reached 16.1 percent in 2004, in comparison to 15.2 percent in 2000.

* The Israeli population is regarded as the "youngest" population, with 28.4 percent under the age of 14 years, compared to an average of 17 percent in other westernized countries. However, in comparison to other communities in Israel, the Jewish population is the "oldest", while the Muslim community is considered the "youngest."

* Furthermore, 11.6 percent of the Jewish population is over the age of 65, compared to 2.7 percent in the Muslim community; 43 percent is under the age of 14 compared 25.6 percent among the Jewish community.

From Globes:

* The growth rate among Israel’s Jewish population was 1.4%. The growth rate among Muslims was double the Jewish rate, at 3.3%

From the Jerusalem Post:

* Fertility rates have remained stable, however, among the Jewish population at 2.9 children per woman, according to the CBS. Since 2000, the rate has dropped among Muslims, from 4.7/4.6 to 4.4.

* Growth in the Israeli population in 2004 in Gaza and the West Bank (5.2%) well out-paced growth in Jerusalem (2.4%) and Tel Aviv (1.1%)... Dor-Shav attributed the relatively high Jewish birthrate to the premium national religious and haredi communities place on large families.

The time has long since passed for Israel and the Jewish People to face up to the true demographic threat facing the Jewish State of Israel, namely the ever increasing Israeli-Arab population, and begin to address this issue in a serious manner. We must once and for all determine our answers to the following questions:

What role does the State of Israel play in the lives of the Jewish People? Is it imperative that Israel remain a Jewish State? If so, what are we willing to do to ensure that it remains one?

I include the Jewish People in this equation, because no Jew who cares about Israel remaining a Jewish State should be able to claim ignorance on this point. If Israel is to remain a Jewish State, then it requires Jewish bodies and lots of Jewish babies (aside from any other steps the State of Israel may feel compelled to take on this matter). By choosing to remain living outside of Israel, those Jews are showing where Israel stands on their list of priorities, and as such, will be required to live with any actions that the State of Israel ultimately takes in order to save itself from this grave threat.

While there may be a difference of opinion as to the actions that the State of Israel should take, there is no question that if Israel is to remain a Jewish State, that the time to act is now - if only we will find the courage to do so.

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