Development town

[2] In the aftermath of the establishment of the state in 1948, Israel's population doubled within two years to 1.2 million, as Holocaust survivors and Jews from Muslim countries immigrated in large numbers.

The newly established towns were mostly populated by Jewish refugees from Arab and Muslim countries – Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Tunisia.

Development towns were also populated by Holocaust survivors from Europe and Jewish immigrants, who came to the newly established State of Israel.

[6] A high proportion of the population was also religious or traditional, with a 2003 survey showing that 39% of residents would rather Israel be run more by halakhic law.

[5] Despite businesses and industries being eligible for favorable tax treatment and other subsidies, with the exception of Arad, most of the towns (particularly those in the south) have fared poorly in the economic sense, and often feature amongst the poorest Jewish Areas in Israel.