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Experts Question Perceived Demographic Threat to Israel
(JNS-Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle) Alex Traiman - A relatively recent two-way shift in birthrates is altering the paradigm of a perceived demographic threat to Israel. "Maybe the demographic threat was real 10 to 20 years ago but not anymore," said Dr. Guy Bechor, who heads the Middle East Division at the Lauder School of Government at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. "There is a rise of the Jewish fertility rate in Israel and a decline of the Arab fertility rate in Israel and in the Palestinian Authority." In the 1970s and '80s, the fertility rate per Muslim mother in Israel was more than 8 children, and today, the rate is 3.2. "In the Jewish community 20 or 15 years ago, fertility rates were 2.5, and now, it is more than 3....The numbers today are virtually the same between Arab and Jewish families." A dramatic decline in Arab fertility rates can also be seen in virtually every Middle East country, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey. "Today, there is a clear Jewish majority in Israel, and this majority will continue to grow in the next few years." Moreover, Jews continue to immigrate to Israel, most noticeably from France and Ukraine.