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Arnon Sofer

Arnon Soffer was an Israeli geographer and professor at the University of Haifa, known for his research on demography, water and the environment in Israel.

1935 to 2026Research on Israeli demographyCo-founding the University of HaifaThe Chaikin Chair in Geostrategy

Born: 24 December 1935, Rishon LeZion
Died: 14 August 2026, Haifa
Occupation: geographer
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Founded: The National Security Studies Center (2000)

Arnon Sofer was born in 1935 in Rishon LeZion

Soffer was born on 24 December 1935 to Jacob and Chasia Soffer, immigrants from Belarus, and grew up in Rishon LeZion. His older brother Menachem was killed by a mine at the end of the War of Independence. With classmates from the Gymnasia Realit he formed the city's first handball team, and in the 1950s he played for Israel's national handball team.

He served in the Nahal during his IDF service. He earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in geography at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, completing the doctorate in 1971. His doctorate dealt with the location of industry in Haifa Bay.

In 1965 he helped found the geography department at what became the University of Haifa, and he later held posts there including dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. From 1969 he taught at the IDF Command and Staff College, and he also taught at the National Defense College. In 2004 he founded the Chaikin Chair in Geostrategy, which he headed until 2016.

Soffer described the growth of the Palestinian population as a demographic threat to Israel and is linked to the 2005 disengagement from Gaza. Some of his positions, including on Tel Aviv and on African asylum seekers, drew criticism. He was married with four children and died on 14 August 2026.