Not surprisingly, Israel’s new Nation State Law has sparked strong criticism within Israel’s Arab community. Yet while protest was voiced by all major Arab political elements, the Arab public as a whole has not mobilized to engage in any significant broad-based protest on the issue. This did not even occur with the mass demonstration in Tel Aviv, planned by the Arab Higher Monitoring Committee. Instead, the Monitoring Committee’s attempt to advance a counter-approach revealed the cracks within the Arab leadership, highlighting in...
The relations of the state and the Jewish majority with the Arab-Palestinian society directly concern Israel’s national security. Like the Commission of Inquiry into the Clashes between Security Forces and Israeli Citizens in October 2000 (Or Commission), so too, the president of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, deems the advancement and integration of Arab society in the social and economic life of the state—on the basis of full and equal citizenship—as an interest of utmost national importance to Israel’s social, economic, and moral...
This memorandum relates to one of Israel’s main national security issues, namely, the charged relations between the State of Israel and its Arab- Palestinian minority. In recent years these relations have been high on the state’s political and public agenda, and the issue has become more prominent with the deterioration in the security situation since fall 2015. The current wave of violence, which began in East Jerusalem and spread to the WestBank as well as to cities within the Green Line, has also highlighted what is happening...
Seven years after the onset of the upheaval in the Middle East and two years since the implementation of the nuclear deal between the world powers and Iran, the main contours of the region’s emerging reality – including the actors, rivalries, partnerships, front lines, power relations, and behavior of the major powers – are becoming clear. Now, after nearly one full year at the Washington helm, the nature of the Trump administration and its influence on the domestic arena, the Middle East, and the global stage are also coming into...
Nearly two years since the government of Israel adopted the five year plan for the economic development of the Arab population in Israel, the best evidence of progress in implementation of the plan is the resounding silence on this subject among Arab political leaders in Israel. This silence apparently reflects their understanding that the program can contribute much to the advancement of the sector. In spite of the obstacles, the program appears to be proceeding in the right direction. On the ground there is noticeable progress in...
Meir Elran | Muhammed Abu Nasra | Eran Yashiv | Morsi Abu Mokh
The severe events in Kafr Qassem on June 6, 2017 occurred against a general backdrop of crime and violence in the Arab sector, including violence against women. In recent years, this issue has assumed prominence within the Arab population in Israel. The police demonstrated a tough approach, possibly reflecting the perceived mood of the Israeli political leadership. A restraining constructive approach by the government and the Arab leadership is needed, as well as an open dialogue and effective collaboration between the police and the...
While concrete progress has indeed been made on some of the items of the five-year economic development plan for integrating the Arab population in Israel into the country’s economy, in general, implementation is only beginning. In view of the plan’s complexity and the limitations of the local Arab authorities, additional delays can be expected. A major problem is manifested here: On the one hand, the government is active in enhancing its plan, expressing its declared policy designed to narrow the harsh gaps between the Jewish...
Meir Elran | Eran Yashiv | Muhammed Abu Nasra | Alon Rieger
This essay looks at the hostility and racist attitudes between much of Israel’s Jewish majority and Arab minority. Complementing their look at the incitement in the Arab sector toward the Jewish population is their discussion of the contradictory posture by Israel’s government toward Arab citizens. While steps have been taken to encourage the economic integration of the Arab sector, other measures rebuff the sector’s social and political integration. The authors emphasize the need for law enforcement and determination in the...
The decision by the Joint List MKs not to attend the Peres funeral can be seen as a kind of challenge, a mirror image of the government’s policy toward the Arabs in Israel. As such, it reflects the Arab leaders’ adoption of the concept of economic inclusion, alongside a tendency toward political self-exclusion. In this context, they are willing to cooperate with the government on implementing most of the five-year program to provide economic aid to the Arab population, and at the same time, by demonstrating an independent posture,...
On December 30, 2015, the Israeli government approved a five-year economic plan designed to enhance the economic and social integration of Israel’s Arab citizens. The first six months were devoted primarily to planning processes, in order to ensure a smooth start. At the same time, the first few months have revealed serious challenges, which might reduce the scope or delay implementation of the five-year plan. The most severe obstacles include: complex government bureaucracy; hurdles at the level of Arab local government; and...
On December 30, 2015, the Israeli government unanimously adopted a five-year plan (2016-2020) for the Arab population, estimated at approximately NIS 15 billion. If implemented with reasonable effectiveness, the program can serve as a solid foundation for a genuine improvement in the socioeconomic condition of Israel’s Arabs, allowing for the proper integration of one fifth of the nation’s population into Israel’s productivity enterprise. This might have a major positive impact on the country’s GDP. Implementation of the...
On January 17-19, 2016, INSS held the latest conference in its annual conference series, “Security Challenges of the 21st Century.” The aim of this article is to bring together the key insights from the conference in a complete and coherent picture and use them as a basis for outlining policy recommendations to help the Israeli government contend with the challenges before it. • According to the situation assessment of Israeli policymakers, the current dangers stemming from the options that deviate from the status quo outweigh the...
