![A Palestinian shepherd leads his sheep in the village of Jimba southern Yatta, near the West Bank City of Hebron, on 01 October 2013 [Mamoun Wazwaz/Apaimages]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2013_10_1-A-Palestinian-shepherd-leads-his-sheep-in-the-village-near-the-West-Bank-City-of-Hebron.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The poorest areas:
- Neve Midbar, Negev
- Shaqib Al-Salam
- Tel As-Sabi
- Modi’in Illit, illegal West Bank settlement
- Ar’ara
- Beitar Illit, illegal West Bank settlement
- Hura
- Al-Qasoom
- Kuseife
- Lakiya
- Rahat
Arab towns and villages are the poorest in Israel, data published by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics shows.
The figures, which date back to 2013, also show that towns with lower number of Arab inhabitants are economically better off.
Israeli settlements in the Negev were found to be the amongst the best in terms of socio-economic levels.
Apart from Arab population numbers, the study found that the presence of Haredim Jews also reduced the socio-economic standing of an area. With Jerusalem’s position falling possibly as a result of the growing population of Haredim Jews in the city.