Districts, Subdistricts and Natural Regions of the State of Israel, 2018Population density by natural region, subdistrict, and district in 2018 (thicker border indicates higher tier)
There are six main administrativedistricts of Israel, known inHebrew asmekhozot (מְחוֹזוֹת; sing.מָחוֹז,makhoz) and inArabic asmintaqah. There are also 15 subdistricts of Israel, known in Hebrewnafot (נָפוֹת; sing.נָפָה,nafa) and in Arabic asqadaa. Each subdistrict is further divided into natural regions,[1][2] which in turn are further divided into council-level divisions: whether they might becities,municipalities, orregional councils.
The present division into districts was established in 1953, to replace thedivisions inherited from the British Mandate. It has remained substantially the same ever since; a second proclamation of district boundaries issued in 1957—which remains in force as of 2023—only affirmed the existing boundaries in place.
The figures in this article are based on numbers from theIsraeli Central Bureau of Statistics and so include all places underIsraeli civilian rule including thoseIsraeli-occupied territories where this is the case. Therefore,Golan Subdistrict and its four natural regions are included in the number of subdistricts and natural regions even though it is not recognized by theUnited Nations or the international community as Israeli territory. Similarly, the population figure below for the Jerusalem District was calculated includingEast Jerusalem whose annexation by Israel is similarlynot recognized by the United Nations and the international community. TheJudea and Samaria Area, however, is not included in the number of districts and subdistricts as Israel has not applied its civilian jurisdiction in that part of theWest Bank.
Administration
The districts have no elected institutions of any kind, although they do possess councils composed of representatives of central government ministries and local authorities for planning and building purposes. Their administration is undertaken by a District Commissioner[3] appointed by theMinister of the Interior. Each district also has aDistrict Court.
Since the District Commissioners are considered part of the Ministry of the Interior's bureaucracy, they can only exercise functions falling within the purview of other ministries if the appropriate Minister authorizes them.[3] This authorization is rarely granted, as other government ministries and institutions (for example, the Ministry of Health[4] and the Police[5]) establish their own divergent systems of districts.
Jerusalem District
Generali Building houses the offices of the Jerusalem District Administration
The nameJudea and Samaria for this geographical area is based on terminology from theHebrew Bible and other sources relating to ancientIsrael andJudah/Judea. The territory has been under Israeli control since the 1967Six-Day War but not annexed by Israel, pending negotiations regarding its status. It is part ofhistoric Israel, which leads to politically contentious issues. However, it is not recognized as part of theState of Israel by theUnited Nations.
There are no subdistricts or administratively declared "natural regions" in the Judea and Samaria Area.[1]
