The Central District (Hebrew: מְחוֹז הַמֶּרְכָּז, Meḥoz haMerkaz; Arabic: المنطقة الوسطى) of Israel is one of six administrative districts, including most of the Sharon region. It is further divided into 4 sub-districts: Petah Tikva, Ramla, Sharon, and Rehovot. The district's largest city is Rishon LeZion. The district's population as of 2017 was 2,115,800. According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, 88% of the population is Jewish, 8.2% is Arab, and 4% are “non-classified”, being mostly former Soviet Union immigrants of partial or nominal Jewish ethnic heritage or household members of Jews.[4]
^Orme, William A. Jr. "El Al at a Turning Point; A Mirror of Israel's Divisions Prepares to Go 49% Public." The New York Times. March 5, 1999. C1, New York Edition. 1. Retrieved on February 15, 2010.