Arab citizens in the “Jewish” state of Israel

Itzhak Galnoor*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Israel’s Declaration of Independence proclaims full equality for all of Israel’s citizens and calls upon members of the Arab nation “to participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship.” This pledge has not been kept. On the one hand, the government is using its majority to legislate laws that undermine the status and legitimacy of the Arab citizens. On the other, since 2007 the same government has been investing a great deal of money in improving the economic conditions in the Arab localities. The tenuous relationship between Jews and Arabs is under constant pressure. Nonetheless, a change has begun to surface tacitly in the official state policy toward Arab citizens, recognizing the justification of equality, in economic terms. The three subsequent Knesset elections held in 2019-2020 strengthened the political representation and clout of the Arab citizens; however, the discriminating barrier, preventing their recognition as legitimate partners in the government coalition, has not been removed.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Oxford Handbook of Israeli Politics and Society
PublisherOxford University Press
Pages141-160
Number of pages20
ISBN (Electronic)9780190675585
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2018

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Oxford University Press 2021.

Keywords

  • Arab citizens
  • Arab parties
  • Arab-israeli conflict
  • Equality
  • Indigenous minority
  • Interethnic relations
  • Jewish state
  • Military administration
  • Palestinians
  • Vision documents

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