Arnon Soffer, an Israeli geographer whose population forecasts shaped public debate over Israel’s borders, died Aug. 14, 2026, at 90, Radio Haifa 107.5FM reported.
Soffer joined the newly established University of Haifa as a lecturer in 1965. He helped found its geography department and became its head in 1970. His doctoral research examined the location of industry in Haifa Bay, and he later co-produced the 1980 Atlas of Haifa and the Carmel for research and regional planning.
Beginning in the 1980s, Soffer warned that population trends could undermine Israel’s Jewish and democratic character. In February 2001, on the night Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister, Sharon sent an aide to obtain a copy of Soffer’s 1987 demographic pamphlet, The Forward reported. By 2004, the publication said, his forecasts had entered Israel’s political debate and were helping build support for territorial withdrawal.
In 2004, Soffer established the Chaikin Chair for Geostrategy at the University of Haifa. He led the associated institute’s research on demography, water, environmental pressures and national security until retiring in 2016.
Soffer also taught at Israel’s National Defense College and other senior command schools. He led the college’s research center from 2007 to 2014, bringing his geographic and demographic research to military commanders and senior public officials.
