As a baby nation bereft of industrial. agricultural. and cultural development. It can be honestly said that it started at scratch. And to add to its impoverishmentthousands of refugees flocked from many nations of the world to seek asylum within its boundaries. The progress made in these years has been phenomenal. The Hulch Basin in Galilee. formerly a swamp Infested with mosquitoes infecting malaria. is now an agricultural producing area of fertile fields. enormous plantations. and numerous fishpounds. The draining of the swamp exposed acres of peat deposits now used as fertilizer. An industrial center was developed at the town of Kiryat15.000 populationlocated in Negevs Lakehish area. The measure of growth from 500 old settlers--Israel before 1948was due to the influx of immigrants from Asia and north Africa. We do not realize that only 37 percent of the population are native Israelithe others are immigrants from over 100 countries. Of the total inhabitants: 2.232.200. Jews number. 1.984.200. Moslems. 52.000. Christians and druze. 24.Israel. in spite of her lack of wealth. has provided the million refugees with places to live either in a reception campabandoned 1950or to the "maabarot"-a hutted transitional quarter and then on to a permanent housing area. Since 1957 they have been assigned to villages or towns to a job and a home. The growing economy is prospering in Haifa.
Keywords matched
immigrants seek asylum refugees