| Nazareth Illit | |||
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| Hebrew transcription(s) | |||
| • Hebrew | נָצְרַת עִלִּית | ||
| • ISO 259 | Naçrat ʕillit | ||
| • Translit. | Natzrat Ilit | ||
| • Also spelled | Nazerat Illit (official) | ||
| Arabic transcription(s) | |||
| • Arabic | ناصيرات عيليت (Nasirat Illit) or الناصرة العليا (An-Nasira-l-ʻolya) | ||
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Nazareth Illit
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| Coordinates: | |||
| District | North | ||
| Founded | 1954–56 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | City (from 1974) | ||
| • Mayor | Shimon Gafsou | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 32,521 dunams (32.5 km2 / 12.6 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2009) | |||
| • Total | 40,800 | ||
| Name meaning | Upper Nazareth | ||
Nazareth Illit (Hebrew: נָצְרַת עִלִּית) (Upper Nazareth) is a city in the North District of Israel. At the end of 2007 it had a population of 40,800.[1] Nazareth Illit was founded in the 1950s. Foundations were laid in 1954 and the first residents moved in two years later. It was planned as a Jewish town alongside the predominantly Arab city of Nazareth.
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The establishment of Nazareth Illit was conceived in the early 1950s when development towns such as Karmiel and Beit She'an were founded. There were economic and security reasons for developing a town in this region, but according to Shimon Landman, director of the Interior Ministry's Department of Minorities, the municipal elections in 1954, in which the Israel communist party Maki became the largest faction, were a source of concern.[2]
A parcel of 1,200 dunams of land, about half within the municipal boundaries, was expropriated in 1954, relying on a law that permitted expropriations for public purposes. Protests at this action reached the Supreme Court of Israel, which in 1955 accepted (HCJ 30/55) the government's word that the sole purpose of the land was to erect government facilities. However, it had already been decided that only 109 dunams would be used for that purpose and planning for residential neighborhoods continued. The first dwellings were completed in September 1956 and the first residents moved in later that year.[3]
According to historian Geremy Forman, an important aim of Upper Nazareth was to ensure Jewish sovereignty in the region. The director of the IDF Planning Department, Yuval Ne'eman, stated that the new town would "safeguard the Jewish character of the Galilee as a whole, and... demonstrate state sovereignty to the Arab population more than any other settlement operation." Forman wrote that Upper Nazareth was meant to address the challenge perceived as emanating from the all-Arab city of Nazareth, and the goal was to build a neighborhood that would overpower Nazareth numerically, economically, and politically.[4]
Initially the settlement was referred to as the "Jewish neighborhood" of Nazareth, then as Kiryat Natzeret. The name Nazareth Illit was adopted in 1958. In 1960 the part within the municipal boundaries of Nazareth was excised from Nazareth, and the following year Nazareth Illit was endowed with the municipal status of local council.[5]
According to CBS, in 2001 the ethnic and religious makeup of the city was 91.0% Jewish and other non-Arabs, 9.0% Arab (2.3% Muslim and 6.7% Christian). In 2001 there were 655 immigrants. According to CBS, in 2001 there were 21,000 males and 23,200 females. The population of the city was spread out with 27.5% 19 years of age or younger, 14.8% between 20 and 29, 18.6% between 30 and 44, 18.7% from 45 to 59, 5.3% from 60 to 64, and 15.2% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was -0.4%.
According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 17,229 salaried workers and 764 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is ILS 4,377, a real change of 6.4% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 5,373 (a real change of 8.2%) versus ILS 3,388 for females (a real change of 3.9%). The mean income for the self-employed is 6,646. There are 1,337 people who receive unemployment benefits and 5,532 people who receive an income guarantee.
According to CBS, there are 15 schools and 6,138 students in the city. They are spread out as 12 elementary schools and 3,042 elementary school students, and 5 high schools and 3,096 high school students. 56.8% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001.
Hapoel Nazareth Illit is the city's major football team. Having been promoted to the top division for the first time in 2003, the club was later relegated in 2006 to Liga Leumit, the second tier, where they currently play. The city also hosted several Bnei Sakhnin games during 2005 and 2006 as Sakhnin's Doha Stadium did not meet the Israeli Premier League requirements at the time. The city's basketball team, Hapoel Nazareth Illit is playing in the Second division Liga Leumit.
Nazareth Illit is twinned with:
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