Districts, Sub-Districts and Natural Regions of the State of Israel, 2018
Population density by natural region, sub-district and district in 2018 (thicker border indicates higher tier).
There are six main administrative districts of Israel, known in Hebrew as mekhozot (מְחוֹזוֹת; singular: makhozמָחוֹז) and Arabic as mintaqah and fifteen sub-districts known as nafot (נָפוֹת; singular: nafaנָפָה). Each sub-district is further divided into natural regions,[1][2]cities, municipalities, and regional councils it contains.
The present division into districts was established in 1953, to replace the divisions 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 2022 – only affirmed the existing boundaries in place.
The figures in this article are based on numbers from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics and so include all places under Israeli civilian rule including those Israeli-occupied territories where this is the case. Therefore, the Golan sub-district and its four natural regions are included in the number of sub-districts and natural regions even though it is not recognized by the United Nations or the international community as Israeli territory. Similarly, the population figure below for the Jerusalem District was calculated including East Jerusalem whose annexation by Israel is similarly not recognized by the United Nations and the international community. The Judea and Samaria Area, however, is not included in the number of districts and sub-districts as Israel has not applied its civilian jurisdiction in that part of the West 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 the Minister of the Interior. Each district also has a District 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.
The name Judea and Samaria for this geographical area is based on terminology from the Hebrew and other sources relating to ancient Israel and Judah/Judea. The territory has been under Israeli control since the 1967 Six-Day War but not annexed by Israel, pending negotiations regarding its status. It is part of historic Israel, which leads to politically contentious issues. However, it is not recognized as part of the State of Israel by the United Nations and most nations.
There are no sub-districts and no natural regions in the Judea and Samaria Area.[1]
