ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the various minority groups that participated in the Living in Mandatory Palestine study. It presents demographic data on the groups, outlining factors related to their political power or political status as well as why the Israeli government officially recognizes them as minorities. Historically, the Galilee's population has engaged in agriculture and has tended to live in small villages and small towns. Today, only about one-third of the population of the Galilee are urban dwellers, and 1.7 percent of the population live on 267 kibbutzim, which are self-contained, collective economic and social entities in which all members take part in the decisions pertaining to all walks of life. Poverty levels in the Galilee are higher than in the central region, with the Palestinian Muslim population having higher rates of poverty than Jewish residents.
