How Israel organizes its territory into six distinct administrative districts

Countries & Cities · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Israel is divided into six primary administrative districts, a structure established in 1953 to replace British Mandate divisions. While these regions provide a framework for local governance and planning, they function differently than traditional states or provinces, lacking elected bodies and operating under the oversight of government-appointed officials.

The administrative map of Israel consists of six main districts, known as mekhozot. These are further broken down into 15 subdistricts, referred to as nafot, which are then segmented into natural regions and finally into individual municipalities or regional councils. This hierarchical system was formally adopted in 1953, with a subsequent 1957 proclamation affirming these boundaries, a configuration that remains in force today.

Unlike many regional systems, these districts do not possess their own elected institutions. Instead, each is managed by a District Commissioner selected by the Minister of the Interior. These commissioners lead councils composed of representatives from various government ministries and local authorities, primarily to coordinate planning and building initiatives. Because these commissioners are embedded within the interior ministry's bureaucracy, their authority is limited; they cannot easily exercise functions belonging to other ministries, such as health or police, which maintain their own separate, often divergent, district systems.

The statistical data for these regions, provided by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, includes all areas under Israeli civilian rule. This encompasses the Golan Subdistrict, despite its status not being recognized by the international community or the United Nations. Similarly, population figures for the Jerusalem District incorporate East Jerusalem, which faces the same international recognition challenges. Notably, the Judea and Samaria Area is excluded from this district count because Israel has not applied its civilian jurisdiction there, keeping it outside the standard administrative framework used elsewhere in the country.

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