Nazareth is located in the Northern portion of Israel. Archeological data hypothesizes that this area was settled as early as 7000 BC., and it is said to be the birthplace of Jesus. It is for this reason that Nazareth has become a hotspot for Christian Pilgrimage. In 1947 the territory was given to the Arab State and had a population of approximately 48,000, most of them Christian.
On this day July 16th, in 1948, Nazareth is surrendered to Israeli troops during Operation Dekel, a military maneuver that came during the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. Operation Dekel was aimed specifically at capturing Nazareth. Because of the historical and religious importance of the site, there were not many casualties in the fighting.
Nazareth now has one of the highest populations of Arabs, most of whom are Muslim, which earned it the title “The Arab Capital of Israel”. Approximately 20% of Israel’s population are Arabs, most of them being Muslims with full Israeli citizenship.