The earliest composers of Israeli Hebrew folk music were influenced by elements of local
Palestinian musical traditions. Subsequent influences on Israeli music came from Jewish immigrants from Middle Eastern and North African countries, including Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, and Egypt. These communities introduced various Arab musical traditions, contributing to the development of
Mizrahi music. The distinctive blend of Eastern and Western musical elements characteristic of Mizrahi music has influenced the broader landscape of Israeli popular music. A notable example is the song
HaPerach BeGani ("The Flower in My Garden"), performed by
Zohar Argov, with lyrics by
Avihu Medina and music by Medina and Moshe Ben Mosh.
Contemporary Palestinian and Arab music The
Palestinian and Arab community in Israel, which constitutes over 20 percent of the country's permanent population, has developed distinct forms of musical expression. talks about her art Until the early 1990s, little original music was produced by this community. The focus was primarily on renowned artists from the broader Arab world, such as
Umm Kulthum,
Fairuz, and
Farid al-Atrash. Locally composed music began to gain traction among the Palestinian population in Israel during the 1980s. Prior to that, music performed at weddings and other gatherings typically consisted of repertoire originating from
Egypt,
Lebanon, and
Syria. By the early 21st century, a number of prominent local musicians had emerged. These included internationally recognized
oud and violin virtuoso Taiseer Elias, singer
Amal Murkus, and the brothers Samir and
Wissam Joubran. Several Israeli Arab and Palestinian artists have also achieved international success: Elias and Murkus frequently perform in Europe and North America, and oud player Darwish Darwish (one of Elias's students) won first prize at an all-Arab oud competition held in Egypt in 2003. The experience of living as an Arab minority in Israel has influenced the musical output of Israeli Arab and Palestinian musicians. Their work often reflects themes such as identity, conflict, memory, and aspirations for peace. For example,
Kamilya Jubran's song "Ghareeba," based on a poem by
Khalil Gibran, conveys a sense of isolation and longing experienced by a Palestinian woman. Several groups have emerged, such as Elias's
Bustan Avraham,
The Olive Leaves, and
Shlomo Gronich's Israeli-Palestinian ensemble in which Jews and Palestinians perform together, creating a fusion style of music. Joint musical bands such as
Zimrat Yah,
Shams Tishrin,
Blues Job, and
Sahar, appear all over Israel, particularly in the
Galilee.
The Olive Leaves gave a successful concert tour in Jordan in 1995, with lead singer Shoham Eynav (Jewish) singing songs in both Hebrew and Arabic. Israeli Arabs and Palestinians have also branched out into other musical styles. Palestinian hip-hop artist
Tamer Nafar, founder of the rap group DAM, became an independent rap star after a politically charged dispute with Israeli rapper Subliminal. His music expresses the frustration and alienation that many Palestinians citizens of Israel feel. The rock music of Basam Beromi, singer of the group "Khalas" (Enough!), protests against the strictures of traditional Arab society. The song "What have we come to?", for example, tells the story of a young girl in love, whose family murders her for violating strict
traditional codes of courtship. London-trained guitarist Michel Sajrawy combines jazz, rock, and gypsy with classical Arab music. Singalongs have gained momentum in Israeli Arab society, as people of all ages turn out for musical events in Nazareth, Jaffa, Haifa, Karmiel and other cities. While music education for Israeli Arabs and Palestinians is less developed, there has been a steady growth of opportunities in this sector. The
Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance has an advanced degree program, headed by Taiseer Elias, in Arabic music. In 2007, the first precollege conservatory for the Arab-speaking population opened in Shfaram.
Mizrahi music Immigrant communities in Israel from Arab countries have developed a blended musical style that incorporates elements of Turkish, Greek, Arabic, and Israeli music. In contrast to the New Hebrew Style, which was a deliberate creation of Eastern European immigrants seeking to shape a new Israeli identity, Mizrahi music (
muzika mizrachit) emerged as a spontaneous, grassroots genre. The
muzika mizrachit movement began in the 1950s within Arab Jewish neighborhoods, particularly among Yemenite residents of Tel Aviv-Jaffa's
Kerem HaTeimanim neighborhood, as well as Moroccan, Iranian, and Iraqi communities. In the 1960s, the style began to evolve, incorporating acoustic and electric guitars to create a more eclectic sound. Vocal techniques commonly included
melisma and other Arabic ornamental features, with a nasal or guttural tone quality. Despite these stylistic elements, the intonation typically adhered to Western scales, avoiding the quartertone systems characteristic of classical Arabic music. Prominent performers from the 1970s and 1980s included
Shimi Tavori,
Zehava Ben, and
Zohar Argov. Argov's song "
HaPerah BeGani" ("The Flower in My Garden") became a major hit, and he came to be known as the "King of
Muzika Mizrachit." His life story was later adapted into a film. Despite its popularity, Mizrahi music was largely excluded from state radio broadcasts. According to social researcher Sami Shalom Chetrit, "The educational and cultural establishment made every effort to separate the second generation of eastern immigrants from this music, by intense socialization in schools and in the media." The eventual integration of Mizrahi music into mainstream Israeli culture was influenced by the efforts of Mizrahi composers and producers such as
Avihu Medina, the genre's widespread popularity, and the incorporation of Mizrahi musical elements by well-known Israeli artists. In 1989, singer
Yardena Arazi released
Dimion Mizrahi ("Eastern Imagination"), which featured a blend of original material and canonical Israeli songs. Other musicians began experimenting with fusion styles that combined Mizrahi music with Israeli, Greek, rock, and global musical influences. These included
Yehuda Poliker and
Shlomo Bar, whose group
HaBrera HaTivit ("The Natural Choice" or "The Natural Selection") integrated instruments such as the
sitar and
tabla to create a hybrid
world music sound. The growing acceptance of Mizrahi music during the 1990s paralleled the broader social efforts of Arab Jews to attain cultural and societal recognition. Literary researcher and critic Mati Shmuelof noted in 2006 that "today, the popular
Muzika Mizrachit has begun to erase the differences from rock music, and we can see not a few artists turning into mainstream... This move to the mainstream culture includes cultural assimilation." Vocal techniques in Mizrahi music often feature Arab-style
melismatic ornamentation (known in Hebrew as
silsulim) and a nasal tone, characteristic of some Arab musical styles. Melodic structures are frequently modal, shifting between major and minor, with a guttural vocal delivery. While Arab music is traditionally homophonic and based on melodic frameworks called
maqamat, Mizrahi music tends to include harmonic accompaniment and generally employs the Western 12-tone scale.
Jewish Yemenite music The music of
Yemenite Jews played a significant role in the development of Israeli music, as it was regarded by early Zionist settlers to Palestine as a cultural connection to biblical traditions. Musicologist A.Z. Idelsohn noted that "the music of the ancient Hebrews is preserved in memory and practice in various Jewish centers... Yemen, in South Arabia, [is] a community that lived practically in seclusion for thirteen hundred years." Yemenite Jews began immigrating to Palestine in 1881 during the First Aliyah. Many European settlers who arrived during the Yishuv period expressed admiration for the Yemenite musical style. A number of early Zionist folk songs were adaptations or westernized versions of traditional Yemenite melodies. In the 1930s and 1940s, Yemenite singer
Bracha Zefira collected and recorded a range of Yemenite songs and also performed original compositions influenced by the Yemenite style. One example is the song "Shtu HaAdarim" ("Drink, the Flock"), with lyrics by
Alexander Penn and music by Nahum Nardi. Following
Operation Magic Carpet, Aharon Amram became one of the first artists to record Yemenite music using instruments not traditionally associated with the genre. His approach initially faced resistance from Israeli-Yemenite radio broadcasters, who typically viewed authentic Yemenite music as performed solely with simple percussion instruments, such as tin, and were reluctant to broadcast his recordings. Amram accompanied his traditional Yemenite singing with a variety of instruments, including guitar, violin, qanoun, trumpet, trombone, and various percussion instruments. Notable figures included composer and oud player Ezra Aharon, violinist Salih Al-Kuwaiti and his brother, oud player Dawud Al-Kuwaiti, composer Salim Al'Nur, and singer
Salima Pasha. In Israel, the
Israel Broadcasting Authority Arabic Orchestra played a role in preserving and promoting the Jewish-Iraqi musical heritage. Although some of these musicians later found employment outside the music industry, they continued to perform within their communities. According to Suad Bazun, a singer and member of a prominent Iraqi Jewish musical family, descendants of these musicians have continued to engage with and perform traditional Iraqi music. ==European and other global influences==