Ancient and Modern

Israel was established as a homeland for the Jewish people and is often referred to as a Jewish state. The country's Law of Return grants all Jews and those of Jewish lineage the right to Israeli citizenship. Over three quarters, or 75.5%, of the population are Jews from a diversity of Jewish backgrounds. The balance of the population includes Israeli Arabs, Christians and Druze. Other minorities include various ethnic and ethno-religious denominations such as Russians, Maronites, Samaritans, Black Hebrew Israelites, Armenians, Circassians and others.

Ethnic Group	Percent	Population
Jewish	75.5%	6,045,900
Arabs	20.5%	1,663,400
Other	4%	322,048
Total	100%	8,051,200