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Arab Citizens of Israel Early in the Twenty-First Century

Memorandum No. 150, Tel Aviv: Institute for National Security Studies, October 2015

Arik Rudnitzky

Photo: Menahem Kahana / AFP / Getty Images

In recent years, Jewish majority-Arab minority relations in Israel have become an increasingly salient issue. Many have come to understand that the Jewish-Arab cleavage is more acute and grave than any other social rift in Israeli society. This study surveys the major political and social developments in Israel’s Arab society that have had a formative influence on this minority’s national discourse since the 1990s. Over the last three decades, Israel’s Arab society experienced national and civic mobilization processes that left a strong imprint on its collective consciousness. In tandem, the Arab sector has produced diverse political and ideological streams that aspire to promote the interests of the country’s Arab citizens – each stream according to its worldview and corresponding political agenda. Today, all the streams openly demand the state’s recognition not only of the Arabs’ rights as Israeli citizens, but of their rights as part of a national Palestinian minority living in a Jewish nation state.

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Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: Israel’s Arab Population: Background Data and Information
General: Composition and Geographic Distribution
The Socioeconomic Index of Arab Towns in Israel
Chapter 2: Political and Ideological Transformations
Political and Ideological Streams in Arab Society
Trends in Political Participation
Significant Ideological Developments
Alternative Models to Israel’s Definition as a “Jewish and Democratic” State
Arab Civil Society Organizations and National Mobilization
Chapter 3: Arab Society: Social and Economic Indicators
Fertility Rates, Population Growth, and Age Groups
Healthcare
Education
The Labor Force
Unemployment
Poverty Rate
Chapter 4: Government Policy
Research Approaches to Government Policy
Government Policy toward the Arab Population 1992-2015: A Comparative Overview
Obstacles in Implementing Government Policy
Laws and Legislative Initiatives Involving the Arab Population
Chapter 5: Jewish-Arab Relations in Israel
Approaches to the Study of Jewish-Arab Relations in Israel
Recent Trends in Jewish-Arab Relations
Conclusion and Recommendations
Notes
Appendix: Annotated Bibliography

The opinions expressed in INSS publications are the authors’ alone.

Publication Series Memoranda

TopicsJewish-Arab Relations in Israel

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Arab Citizens of Israel Early in the Twenty-First Century

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