The inclination of the Palestinian-Israeli population to migrate from native localities to larger cities that offer a variety of employment opportunities and economic mobility is very limited, as a result of both internal and external barriers. Internal barriers are socio-cultural resulting from its being a patriarchal, authoritarian and hierarchical society. As for external barriers those emanate from the Arab-Jewish conflict, from inequality, and the continuous exclusion of and discrimination against the Arabs in Israel and from trends of national separation between the two population groups. All these impede the chances of Palestinian-Israelis to migrate to Jewish localities and to large metropolitan cities.

Despite these barriers, the last decade has witnessed a process of migration from Arab localities to Jerusalem and it appears that migrants to Jerusalem manage to overcome the challenges of both internal and external barriers. There is little research that ascribes any significance to this phenomenon, except for Manna (1997), which focuses on issues of housing and education among children of Palestinian-Israelis who migrated from Arab localities to Jerusalem in the 90s. This current study focuses on the migration of young Palestinian-Israeli women from Arab localities all over Israel to Jerusalem and on their decision to remain and settle in the city rather than return to their native localities. It examines their initial decision to migrate to Jerusalem for the purpose of studies or employment, and their subsequent decision to settle in the city. The characteristics of these young women are examined, as are those unique characteristics of Jerusalem as a migration-absorbing city. Their choice of residence in neighborhoods within Jerusalem and shifts in their socio-economic status resulting from the move are also explored.

The study focuses on unmarried Arab women because the phenomenon of single women who do not return to their native localities and to their families at the end of their study period is not a trivial one in a traditional society, which applies strict social codes to its female members. Moreover, it may herald a deeper social change which applies to migration to Jerusalem in particular. The migration of young women to Jerusalem is a relatively new trend, which has accelerated in recent years. In general it is explained by the paucity of employment opportunities in Arab localities, in particular such opportunities commensurate with their academic education. Some of these young women, who studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem or at the David Yelin or Hadassa Colleges, prefer to find work in the Jerusalem region, particularly in its Arab neighborhoods, commensurate with their education and training, over returning to their native localities. The socialization process, which they experience during their studies or sojourn in the city for any other purpose, facilitates their integration into the Jerusalem labor market. This, despite the fact that Jerusalem is a complex and demanding city from many aspects: political, physical, demographic, social, religious and economic, all presenting unique challenges before the population group in question (Hoshen et al., 2004). Unlike Manna (1997) and Weingrod and Manna (1998), who describe the Palestinian- Israelis arriving in Jerusalem as suffering from dual marginality due to their complex identity, the current study indicates that the young Palestinian-Israeli women successfully integrate into various employment places in the Jerusalem district, in particular in the Arab state education system and government social departments.

The current study addresses three principal questions:
• What are the considerations guiding young Palestinian Israeli women to move to Jerusalem and in particular to settle in the city rather than return to their localities of origin?
• What are the unique characteristics of the young women migrating to Jerusalem and of those who decide to settle in the city?
• What is the spatial distribution of the young Palestinian- Israelis in Jerusalem and how can it be explained?

This study is a precursor to a more comprehensive study focusing on the migration of Palestinian-Israeli families to Jerusalem. The principal claim of the broader study is the status of the Palestinian-Israelis as intermediaries between public and private Israeli establishments and the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem. Jerusalem offers Palestinian-Israelis a range of employment opportunities in commercial and public services provided to its 250,000 Palestinian residents. These opportunities hold a special advantage for them over residents of East Jerusalem and Jewish residents of Jerusalem. This unique opportunity in the Jerusalem labor market is a key factor in the transformation of Jerusalem as a source of attraction for migrating Israeli-Palestinians.