Nazareth Illit (Nof HaGalil)

Basic Information

Type: City
Governorate: Northern District (Israel)
Region: Israel - Galilee

Overview

Nazareth Illit (Upper Nazareth, officially Nof HaGalil since 2018 though the new name is widely rejected) is a Jewish city built starting in 1957 on confiscated Palestinian land on the hills above Nazareth. It was explicitly established as part of Israel's 'Judaization of the Galilee' policy — a government strategy to increase the Jewish population in Arab-majority areas. The city was built on approximately 15,000 dunams of land confiscated from Nazareth and surrounding Palestinian villages including Mashhad and Kafr Kanna. Nazareth Illit receives approximately three times the municipal budget per capita compared to Nazareth, has superior infrastructure, better schools, more green space, and newer housing — all while overlooking the overcrowded, underfunded Palestinian city below. The city was designed to be Jewish-only, with mechanisms to prevent Palestinian residence, though some Palestinians have moved there in recent decades seeking better services. In 2018, the municipality changed the official name to Nof HaGalil ('View of Galilee') in an attempt to erase the connection to Nazareth, a move widely seen as symbolic of ongoing discrimination.

Historical Significance

Planned Jewish city built on confiscated Palestinian land above Nazareth; symbol of Israel's 'Judaization of Galilee' policy; spatial discrimination case study; receives 3x budget per capita compared to Nazareth below.

Sources and record limitations

Source detail varies by record. Some entries include document and page references; others supply source names only. Check the cited material and the record's limitations before relying on a specific claim.

Wikipedia
Israel CBS
Adalah
Mada al-Carmel

Nazareth Illit is a planned Jewish city, not a Palestinian city, but is included as it directly impacts Nazareth