Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Angelsächsischer Kapitalismus

2009-03-31T00:02:36Z

Slackermonkey: /* Disagreements over meaning */

{{Economic systems sidebar}}
An '''Anglo-Saxon economy''' or '''Anglo-Saxon capitalism''' (so called because it is supposedly practiced in English-speaking countries such as the [[United Kingdom]], the [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[New Zealand]], [[Australia]]<ref>Mitchell 2006, p.116. Mitchell groups all the preceding countries under a heading "Anglo-Saxon model or liberalist-individualistic model".</ref> and the [[Republic of Ireland]]<ref>Sapir 2006, p.375</ref>) is a [[capitalism|capitalist]] [[macroeconomic]] model in which levels of regulation and taxes are low, and government provides relatively fewer services.

==Origins of the term==

The term ''Anglo-Saxon'' to denote the English-speaking world originated from the standard French idea of ''le monde anglo-Saxon''<ref>The English-speaking world is also sometimes referred to as the [[Anglosphere]]</ref>. The term refers to a particular culture which strongly features [[capitalism]] and [[protestantism]] (in the case of the UK, some form of [[Anglicanism]]). A link between Protestantism and capitalism was described by [[Max Weber]] in his observation of 19th century Germany, ''[[The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism]]''.

A common usage of "''Anglo-Saxon''" in the English-language media relates either to the [[English language|language]] spoken in the area which would become England, or the [[Anglo-Saxons|people of these areas]], after the arrival of Germanic tribes, primarily [[Angles]] and [[Saxons]], in the 5th century. This usage is not linked to the use of "''Anglo-Saxon''" to refer to modern economic models.

==Disagreements over meaning==

Proponents of the term ''Anglo-Saxon economy'' state that Anglo-Saxon economies are more "[[Economic liberalism|liberal]]" and [[free-market]]-oriented than other capitalist economies. However, those who disagree with the use of the term claim that the economies of the Anglosphere differ as much from each other as they do from continental European economies. For example, in an essay for the Centre for European Reform<ref name="barysch">Barysch 2005</ref>, Katinka Barysch writes,

{{cquote
|Is the gap between the Anglo-Saxon economic model and the continental one really that big? On closer inspection, there are as many similarities as there are differences. More importantly perhaps, there are signs of convergence. - Katinka Barysch, Centre for European Reform, 2005
}}

Differences between Anglo-Saxon economies are illustrated by taxation and the [[welfare state]]. The UK has a significantly higher level of taxation than the US<ref>Tax as fraction of GDP, UK: 37%; US: 26.8%. From [[List of countries by tax revenue as percentage of GDP]]</ref>. Moreover, the UK spends far more than the US on the welfare state as a percentage of GDP and also spends more than Spain, Portugal, or the Netherlands, all of which are in mainland Europe<ref>The UK spends 21.8% of GDP on the welfare state as compared to the US, which spends 14.8%. Data from the article: [[Welfare_state#The_welfare_state_and_social_expenditure|Welfare state]]</ref>. This spending figure is however still considerably lower than that of France or Germany.

Most countries on continental [[Europe]] (such as [[France]], [[Italy]] and [[Germany]]) possess a macroeconomic model called [[Rhenish Capitalism|continental capitalism]] (also called ''Rhenan capitalism''<ref>The term was coined by Michel Albert, although can be applied specifically to Germany. See Joerges et al. 2005, p.30.</ref>). Yet some, such as Katinka Barysch<ref name="barysch"/>, see Spain and also the newer members of the EU as (non-English-speaking) examples of "Anglo-Saxon" economies. The debate amongst economists as to which economic model is better, circles around perspectives involving poverty, job insecurity, social services, and inequality. Generally speaking, their advocates argue that more liberalised economies produce greater overall prosperity<ref>Dale, 1999</ref><ref>Reinhoudt, 2007</ref>, while defenders of continental models counter that they produce lesser inequality and lesser poverty at the lowest margins<ref>Richter, 2003</ref><ref>Schifferes, 2005</ref>.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==

*{{cite paper
|first=Katinka
|last=Barysch
|title=Liberal versus Social Europe
|version = CER Bulletin, ISSUE 43
|publisher=Centre for European Reform
|date=August-September 2005
|accessdate=2007-11-23
|url=http://www.cer.org.uk/articles/43_barysch.html
}}
* {{cite news
|author=Reginald Dale
|title=Japan Is Transforming Its Economy
|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/1999/11/26/think.2.t_4.php
|work=Thinking Ahead / Commentary
|publisher=[[International Herald Tribune]]
|date=1999-11-26
|accessdate=2008-04-07
}}
*{{cite book
|publisher=Routledge Cavendish
|last=Joerges
|first=Christian
|coauthors=Strath, Bo; Wagner, Peter
|title=The Economy as a Polity: The Political Constitution of Contemporary Capitalism
|date=2005
|isbn=1-8447-2070-5
|page=227
}}
*{{cite book
|publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing
|last=Mitchell
|first=William
|coauthors=Joan Muysken, Tom Van Veen, Centre of Full Employment and Equity
|title=Growth and cohesion in the European Union: The Impact of Macroeconomic Policy
|date=2006
|isbn=1-8454-2611-8
|page=250
}}
* {{cite news
|author=Jurgen Reinhoudt
|title=Showtime for Sarkozy
|url=http://www.american.com/archive/2007/october-10-07/showtime-for-sarkozy
|work=Economic Policy
|publisher=[[The American (magazine)|The American]]
|date=2007-10-29
|accessdate=2008-04-07
}}
*{{cite web
|url=http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/10/299588.html
|title=Rhine Capitalism, Anglo-Saxon Capitalism and Redistribution
|accessdate=2008-07-04
|date=2003-11-15
|author=Richter, Eberhard
|coauthors=Fuchs, Ruth
|format=Excerpt, English translation of German original
|work=The Future of Social Security Systems (Conference)
|publisher=Indymedia UK
}}
*{{cite journal
|volume=44
|issue=2
|pages=369–390
|last=Sapir
|first=André
|title=Globalization and the Reform of European Social Models
|journal=JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies
|accessdate=2008-04-06
|date=June 2006
|url=http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2006.00627.x
|doi=10.1111/j.1468-5965.2006.00627.x
|format=abstract
}}
*{{cite news
|author=Steve Schifferes
|title=Blow to EU economic reform hopes
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4602565.stm
|work=Business
|publisher=[[BBC News]]
|date=2005-06-02
|accessdate=2008-04-07
}}

==External links==
* [http://imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2006/01/data/dbcoutm.cfm?SD=2003&ED=2007&R1=1&R2=1&CS=3&SS=2&OS=C&DD=0&OUT=1&C=132-112&S=PPPPC-LUR&RequestTimeout=120&CMP=0&x=85&y=7 IMF World Economic Outlook database] 
* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html CIA World Factbook] 

[[Category:Economies]]

Arabische Israelis

2007-12-18T21:00:47Z

Slackermonkey: /* Examples of integration */

{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}
{{Infobox Ethnic group
|group = Arabs <big> العرب </big>
|image = [[Image:Ramallah-Family-1905.jpg|250px]]
|caption = Arab family from [[Ramallah]], [[1905]].
|population = approx. 300 to 340 million
|regions =
|tablehdr =
|regions = ''Populations in [[Arabic language|Arabic-speaking]] regions'' 
{{{!}} style="width:100%; background:transparent; text-align:left;"
{{!}}width="88px"{{!}} [[Middle East]] {{!!}} {{smaller|([[Mashreq]]}}{{·}} {{smaller|[[Arabian Peninsula]])}}
{{!-}} style="line-height:11pt;"

{{!}} [[Northern Africa]] {{!!}}
{{!}}}
|tablehdr =
|languages = [[Arabic language|Arabic]] other minority languages
|languages = [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and other minority languages
|religions = [[Islam]], [[Christianity]], [[Druzism]] and [[Judaism]]
|footnotes = {{smallsup|a}} Mainly in [[Antakya]]. {{smallsup|b}} Mainly in [[France]]. {{smallsup|c}} Majority in [[Khūzestān Province]]; minorities in [[Bushehr province]], [[Hormuzgan province]] and [[North Khurasan province]].
}}
'''Arab citizens of Israel'''<ref>The Israeli Nationality Law did not come into effect until 14 July 1952, after prolonged debate. Between Israel's declaration of independence on 14 May 1948 and the passage of this bill four years later, there technically were no Israeli citizens. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-919X(195324)2%3A1%3C63%3AEOANLI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-C] In this article, the term 'Arab citizen' or 'Jewish citizen' will also describe Arabs and Jews involved in events that took place after Israel's the armistice agreement of 1949 and the passage of the Nationality Law in 1952, bearing in mind that this is short-hand. </ref> is a phrase used to describe [[Arabs]] or [[Arabic]]-speaking people who are not [[Jewish]], but are citizens of the [[Israel|State of Israel]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Report on Equality and Integration of the Arab Citizens in Israel|publisher=Jewish Virtual Library|accessmonthday=March 27 | accessyear=2006|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/sikkuy2002.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Arab Citizens of Israel Status & Implications for the Middle East Conflict|publisher=Mossawa|url=http://www.mossawacenter.org/en/reports/2003/11/031116.html}}</ref>

The majority identify themselves as [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] by [[nationality]] and [[Israeli]] by [[citizenship]].<ref name=Marcus>{{cite web|title=Israeli Arabs: 'Unequal citizens'|author=Johnathan Marcus|date=[[2 May]] [[2005]]|accessdate=2007-12-06|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4493525.stm}}</ref>
Many Arab citizens hold many ties, including family ties, to Palestinians in the [[West Bank]], [[Gaza Strip]] and [[Jordan]]. There has been relatively greater emphasis on their identity as [[Israelis]] among the [[Bedouin]]<ref>{{cite journal|title=New Identity/Identities Formulation in a Post-Nomadic Community:The Case of the Bedouin of the Negev|author=Steven Dinero|publisher=National Identities|date=2004|page=261-275|volume=Volume 6 Number 3}}</ref> and [[Druze]], with the latter performing compulsory military service, unlike their [[Christian]] and [[Muslim]] counterparts.<ref name="Kokkoken">{{cite web|title=Between success and the search for identity|author=Suzanna Kokkoken|publisher=World Zionist Organization|url=http://www.wzo.org.il/en/resources/view.asp?id=587&subject=151}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|title=Israeli Arabs find no joy during Independence Day|author=Larry Derfner|date=24 April 1998|publisher=Jerusalem Post|url=http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/8570/edition_id/162/format/html/displaystory.html}}</ref>

Special cases are Arabs living in [[East Jerusalem]] and the [[Golan Heights]], occupied and administered by Israel since the [[Six Days War]] of 1967. The residents of East Jerusalem became permanent residents of Israel shortly after the war. Only a few of them accepted Israeli citizenship, and most of them keep close ties with the [[West Bank]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Question of Palestine: Jerusalem|publisher=United Nations|url=http://www.un.org/Depts/dpa/qpalnew/glossarycollapsible.htm}}</ref> though they are allowed to vote for municipal services. The mostly [[Druze]] residents of the Golan Heights are considered permanent residents under the [[Golan Heights Law]] of 1981. Few of them have accepted full Israeli citizenship, and the vast majority consider themselves to be citizens of [[Syria]]. <ref>{{cite web|title=Golan Heights Land, Lifestyle Lure Settlers|author=Scott Wilson|date=30 October 2006|accessdate=05.06.2007|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900926.html}}</ref>

==Notes on terminology==
"Arabs of Israel", "Arab population of Israel", or "Arab inhabitants" are terms used by Israeli authorities and Israeli [[Hebrew]]-speaking media to refer to non-Jewish [[Arabs]] that are citizens and/or residents of the State of [[Israel]].<ref>See the use of the term "Arab inhabitants" in {{cite web|title=The Arab Population of Israel 2003|publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics|url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A Status Report: Equality for Arab Citizens of Israel|publisher=Association for Civil Rights in Israel|date=November 14, 2002|url=http://www.acri.org.il/english-acri/engine/story.asp?id=100}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Report of the Government Ministries - Activities in the Non-Jewish Sector in 1997|publisher=Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs|date=January 2, 1998|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/mfaarchive/1990_1999/1998/1/report%20of%20the%20government%20ministries-%20activities%20in}}</ref>

The [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics|Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics]], for example, therefore includes Arab permanent residents of Israel who do not hold Israeli citizenship in its census figures. As a result, the number of Arabs in Israel is calculated as 1,413,500 people or 19.8% of the Israeli population (2006).<ref name=CBS>{{cite web|title=Population by Population Group|publisher=Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics|url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/lmse.cgi?i=1&ti=2&r=0&f=3&o=0}}</ref> These figures include about 250,000 Arabs in East Jerusalem, and about 19,000 Druze in the Golan Heights.

Terms used to refer to Arab citizens of Israel in the Arab media or Arabic cultural lexicon are "the Arabs of '48", "the Palestinians of '48"<ref>{{cite web|title=The Palestinians of 1948|author=Amrawi, Ahmad|publisher=al-Jazeera|date=December 9, 2003|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/85FA6981-D4E6-42BA-B1DD-87555F30220D.htm}}</ref> or "the Arabs within" (عرب الداخل). These terms do not include the East Jerusalem Arab population or the Druze in the Golan Heights since these territories were occupied by Israel in 1967. Supporters of Palestinian nationalist groups within Israel prefer the term 'Palestinian citizens of Israel'.

Other terms used to describe Arab citizens of Israel include “Arab Israelis",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jordanembassyus.org/08122005001.htm|title=Jordan keen to maintain good ties with Arab Israelis|date=[[2005-08-12]]|publisher=Jordan Times}}</ref> and "Palestinian Arabs in Israel".<ref>{{cite web|title=Arab Minority in Israel|publisher=The Arab Association for Human Rights|url=http://www.arabhra.org/factsheets/factsheet0.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Palestinian-Arab Minority in Israel 1948-2000|author=Ghanem, Asad|publisher=SunyPress|date=May 24, 2001|url=http://www.sunypress.edu/details.asp?id=60366}}</ref>

[[Yemenite Jews]] and certain specific communities of [[Mizrahi Jews]] who emigrated or were expelled from their historic areas of habitation throughout the Arab world, largely following the establishment of Israel in 1948 (see [[Jewish exodus from Arab lands]]), or their Israeli-born descendants, are not usually identified as Arabs, though they and their ancestors were traditionally Arabic-speaking. The state of Israel has never accounted for them as Arabs, but rather, [[Jewish ethnic divisions|Jews of all backgrounds]] are officially accounted for collectively and without distinctions solely as Jews, while only persons of Arab cultural and linguistic heritage of any faith other than Jewish are accounted for as Arabs. Still, there are some Yemenite and [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi]] that do self-identify as [[Arab Jews]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography of Ella Shohat|publisher=Middle East and Islamic Studies Department at NYU|url=http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/mideast/people/faculty/shohat.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=The Jews of Iraq|author=Naeim Giladi|publisher=The Link|volume=31|issue=2|pages=1–13|url=http://www.ameu.org/uploads/vol31_issue2_1998.pdf| accessdate=2006-10-31\| format = PDF}} </ref>

==History==
===1948 Arab-Israeli War===
{{seealso|Palestinian Exodus}}
{{seealso|List of villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war}}
{{Palestinians}}
In the aftermath of the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]], former British-Mandate Palestine was de facto divided into three parts: the State of Israel, Jordanian-held West Bank, and Egyptian-held Gaza Strip. Of the estimated 950,000 Arabs that lived in the territory that became Israel before the war,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Palestinians of 1948|author=Amrawi, Ahmad|publisher=al-Jazeera|date=December 9, 2003|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/85FA6981-D4E6-42BA-B1DD-87555F30220D.htm}}</ref> most were expelled or fled, some 156,000 remained.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Sarah Ozacky-Lazar, Relations between Jews and Arabs during Israel's first decade (in Hebrew)|url=http://lib.cet.ac.il/pages/item.asp?item=13336}} </ref> Arab citizens of Israel are largely composed of these people and their descendants. Others include some from the [[Gaza Strip]] and the [[West Bank]] who procured Israeli citizenship under family-unification provisions that were recently made significantly more stringent.<ref>{{cite web|title=Changes to Family Unification Law|publisher=Adalah, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel|url=http://www.adalah.org/eng/famunif.php|accessmonthday=October 2 | accessyear=2006}}</ref>

Arabs who had left their homes during the period of armed conflict, but remained in what had become Israeli territory, were considered to be "present absentees". In some cases, they were refused permission to return to their original homes, which were expropriated and turned over to state ownership, as was the property of other Palestinian refugees. Some 274,000, or 1 of every 4 Arab citizens of Israel are "present absentees" or [[Internally Displaced Palestinians|internally displaced Palestinians]].<ref name="Badil">[http://www.badil.org/Publications/Monographs/Palestinian.IDPs.pdf Badil Resource Centre for Palestinian Refugee and Residency Rights]</ref><ref name="IDMC">[http://www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/(httpEnvelopes)/F11200E8ECD83F71802570B8005A7276?OpenDocument Internal Displacement Monitoring Center]</ref> Notable cases of "present absentees" include the residents of [[Saffuriyya]] and the [[Galilee]] villages of [[Kafr Bir'im]] and [[Iqrit]].<ref>Féron, pp. 94, 97-99</ref> The legal efforts by residents of Kafr Bir'im and Iqrit to be allowed to return to their homes have continued into the [[21st Century]].

Arab citizens of Israel generally hold separate marches on [[Yom Ha'atzmaut|Israel's Independence Day]], a day they and other Palestinians have termed [[al-Nakba]], meaning "the catastrophe". <ref name="Ashkenazi">{{cite web|title=Israeli Arabs to mark Nakba day with march|author=Eli Ashkenazi|publisher=Ha'aretz Online, English Edition|date=April 26, 2004|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=420090}}</ref> In Israel, Independence Day takes place on 5 Iyar according to the [[Hebrew calendar]], which means it falls on different dates every year under the [[Gregorian calendar]]. <ref name="Ashkenazi"/> Arab citizens of Israel generally mark [[al-Nakba]] both on this day, and on the 15 May, as do other Palestinians. <ref name="Ashkenazi"/> Druze soldiers, however, were present at Israel's first Independence Day Parade in 1949, <ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/12/Focus%20on%20Israel-%20The%20Druze%20in%20Israel]</ref> and there have since been parades for Druze and [[Circassians]], as well as special events for Bedouins on Independence Day. <ref>[http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/8570/edition_id/162/format/html/displaystory.html]</ref>

===Martial law (1949-1966)===
While most Arabs who remained inside what became Israel were granted citizenship, this population was subject to a number of controlling measures, beginning in 1949, that amounted to [[martial law]].<ref>Kodmani-Darwish, p. 126, Féron, pp. 37 and 40</ref> This required that they apply for permission from the military governor to travel more than a given distance from their registered residence. It also included the use of curfew, [[administrative detention]]s, expulsions, and other activities. Martial law was lifted from the Arab population living in predominantly-Jewish cities some years later, but remained in place in Arab areas until [[1966]].

A variety of legal measures in effect during this period facilitated the transfer of land abandoned by Arabs to state ownership. These included the [[Land and Property laws in Israel#The 'Absentees Property Law'|Absentee Property Law of 1950]] which allowed the state to take control of land belonging to land owners who emigrated to other countries, and the Land Acquisition Law of 1953 which authorized the Ministry of Finance to transfer expropriated land to the state. Other common legal expedients included the use of emergency regulations to declare land belonging to Arab citizens a closed military zone, followed by the use of Ottoman legislation on abandoned land to take control of the land.<ref>Féron, p. 94</ref>

In [[1965]], the first attempt was made to stand an independent Arab list for [[Knesset]] elections, with the radical group ''al-Ard'' forming the [[United Arab List (1976)|United Arab List]]. The list was, however, banned by the [[Israeli Central Elections Committee]].

In [[1966]], martial law was lifted completely, and the government set about dismantling most of the discriminatory laws, while Arab citizens were, theoretically if not always in practice, granted the same rights as Jewish citizens.<ref>Kodmani, p. 126</ref>

===1967-2000===
The [[Six Day War]] marked a dramatic turning point in the lives of Israel's Arab citizens. For the first time since Israel's establishment, Arab citizens now had contact with Palestinians in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]]. This along with the lifting of military rule, led to increased political activism among Arab citizens.<ref name="Identity Crisis">{{cite web |url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=2528&l=1 |title=Identity Crisis: Israel and its Arab Citizens |accessdate=2007-04-22 |format= |work= }} }</ref> In 1974, a committee of Arab mayors and municipal council chairmen was established which was able to play an important role in representing the community and bringing its pressure to bear on the Israeli government.<ref>Kodmani, p. 129</ref> This was followed in 1975 by the formation of the Committee for the Defense of the Land, which sought to prevent continuing land expropriations.<ref>Féron, p. 41</ref>That same year, a political breakthrough took place with the election of Arab poet [[Tawfiq Ziad]], a Communist Party member, as mayor of Nazareth, accompanied by a strong communist presence in the town council.<ref>Féron, p. 106</ref> In 1976, six Arab citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli security forces at a protest against land expropriations and house demolitions. The date of the protest, [[March 30]], has since been commemorated annually as [[Land Day]].

The years surrounding the [[Oslo Peace Process]] were a time of optimism for Arab citizens. During the time of [[Yitzhak Rabin]]'s government, Arab parties played an important role in the formation of a governing coalition for the first time ever. Increased participation of Arab citizens was also seen at the civil society level. However, tension continued to exist with many Arabs calling for Israel to become a state of all its citizens therefore challenging the state's Jewish Identity. During the [[1999]] elections for Prime Minister 94% of all Arabs voted for [[Ehud Barak]] partly due to the hope that an Arab party would be included in the coalition agreement for Barak's government as a continuation of what had started with Yitzhak Rabin. However, Barak chose to form a broad left-right-center government without consulting any Arab parties, a decision that deeply disappointed Israel's Arab community.<ref name="Identity Crisis"/>

===October 2000-present===
Tensions between Arabs and the state rose to a boiling point in [[October 2000 events|October of 2000]] when 12 Arab citizens and one Palestinian from the Gaza Strip were killed while protesting the government's response to what became known as the [[Al Aqsa Intifada]]. In response to these events the [[Or Commission]] was established to investigate the causes of these incidents and the subsequent police response to them. Arabs also chose to boycott the [[Israeli prime ministerial election, 2001|2001 Israeli Elections]] as a means of protest.<ref name="Identity Crisis"/>

Tensions between the Jewish and Arab populations were also seen during the [[2006 Israel Lebanon Conflict]]. Arabs complained of not having enough bomb shelters in their towns and villages, of there being a lack of basic emergency information in Arabic, and of political and public incitement against them.<ref name="Arab Citizens and the 2006 War">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mossawacenter.org/files/files/File/Reports/2006/The%20Arab%20Citizens%20of%20Israel%20and%20the%202006%20War%20in%20Lebanon(2).pdf|title=The Arab Citizens of Israel and the 2006 War in Lebanon|accessdate=2007-07-17|publisher=Mossawa|year=2006|work=The Arab Citizens of Israel and the 2006 War in Lebanon: Reflections and Realities|format=PDF}}</ref> On the other hand, Israel's Jewish population viewed the Arab population's opposition to government policy and sympathy with the Arabs in Lebanon as a sign of disloyalty.<ref name="Arabs and War in North">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dayan.org/kapjac/files/War_North1_EN.pdf|title=The Arabs in Israel and the War in the North|accessdate=2007-07-17|publisher=Konard Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation|year=2006|format=PDF}}</ref>

Later that year in October tensions between the Jewish and Arab Communities were further inflamed when Israeli Prime Minister [[Ehud Olmert]] decided to include the right wing [[Yisrael Beitenu]] in his coalition government. This decision proved to be controversial due to a proposal by Yisrael Beitenu Party leader, [[Avigdor Lieberman]] to transfer a heavily populated Arab area to the Palestinian Authority as part of a peace proposal.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Cabinet Appointment Tilts Israel to Right|author=Jim Teeple|publisher=Voice of America, Online English Edition|date=October 24, 2006|accessmonthday=October 31 | accessyear=2006|url=http://voanews.com/english/2006-10-24-voa7.cfm}}</ref> However, several months later in [[January 2007]] the first Arab minister in Israel's history, [[Raleb Majadele]], was appointed a minister without portfolio ([[Salah Tarif]], a [[Druze]] Israeli, had been appointed a minister without portfolio in 2001). However, this appointment received criticism from both left wing members of Knesset who felt it was an attempt to cover up the Labor Party's decision to sit with Yisrael Beitenu in the government and from right wing members who felt that it threatened Israel's status as a Jewish state.<ref>{{cite news|title=Labor MK Raleb Majadele to be appointed first Arab minister|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/812014.html|date=[[January 10]], [[2007]]|author=Yoav Stern|publisher=Haaretz}}</ref><ref> [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/812625.html Lieberman calls on Peretz to quit post for appointing first Arab minister] Haaretz, 12 January 2007</ref>

==Ethnic and religious groupings ==
In 2006, the official number of Arab residents in Israel - including East Jerusalem permanent residents many of whom are not citizens - was 1,413,500 people, about 20% of Israel’s population. <ref name="Ynet">{{cite web|title=Statistics Report: Less Enlisting to Army|publisher=Ynetnews.com|date=28 December 2006|accessdate=05.06.2007|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3345830,00.html}}, including [[Permanent residency|permanent residents]].</ref> According to the [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] (May 2003), Muslims, including Bedouins, make up 82% of the entire Israeli Arab population, with around 9% Druze, and 9% Christians<ref>[http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf]</ref>

The national language and mother tongue of Arab citizens, including the Druze, is [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and the colloquial spoken language is of the [[Palestinian Arabic]] dialect. Knowledge and command of [[Modern Standard Arabic]] varies. <ref name="Spolsky">{{cite web|title=National Profiles of Languages in Education:Israel Language Policy|author=Bernard Spolsky and Elana Shohamy|publisher=Language Policy Research Center|date=July 1996|url=http://www.biu.ac.il/hu/lprc/lprcprof.htm}}</ref>

The relationship of Arab citizens to the State of Israel is often fraught with tension and can be regarded in the context of relations between [[Indigenous peoples|indigenous]]/[[minority]] populations and state authorities elsewhere in the world. <ref>{{cite web|title=State-Controlled Education and Identity Formation Among the Palestinian Arab Minority in Israel|author=Ismael Abu-Saad|publisher=American Behavioral Scientist|date=Vol. 49, No. 8, 1085-1100 (2006)|url=http://abs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/49/8/1085}}</ref> Arab citizens consider themselves to be an [[indigenous people]],<ref>{{cite web|title=UN Commission on Human Rights:Working Group on Minorities|author=Mossawa Center: The Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens of Israel|publisher=[[UN Commission on Human Rights]]|date=30 May - 3 June 2005|url=http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/minorities/docs/11/Mossawa_3a.doc}}</ref> though this has been disputed by some pro-Israel advocates, like [[Joan Peters]] in her book [[From Time Immemorial]]. The tension between their Palestinian Arab national identity and their identity as citizens of Israel was famously described by an Arab public figure as, "My state is at war with my nation".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Arabs in Israel – Two Years after The Or Commission Report|author=Professor (Emeritus) Shimon Shamir|publisher=The Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation|page=7|date=September 19, 2005, PDF format at http://www.dayan.org/kapjac/files/shamirEng.pdf|url=http://72.14.221.104/search?q=cache:DPczMyN0nWkJ:www.dayan.org/kapjac/files/shamirEng.pdf}}</ref>

===Muslim Arabs===
Muslim Arabs, excluding Bedouins, comprise about 70% of Israel's Arab population. They are not required to serve in the Israeli military, and very few (around 120 a year) volunteer.<ref>[http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf]</ref>

Muslim Israelis have the highest birthrate of any group: 4.0 children per woman, as opposed to 2.7 for Jewish Israelis, a natural reproduction rate of 3% compared to 1.5%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton57/st02_05.pdf|title=Sources of population growth, by district, population group and religion|year=2004|publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]]\| format = PDF}} </ref> Around 25% of the children born in Israel today are Muslim. The Muslim population is mostly young: 42% of Muslims are children under the age of 15, compared with 26% of the Jewish population. The median age of Muslim Israelis is 18, while the median age of Jewish Israelis is 30. The percentage of people over 65 is less than 3% for Muslims, compared with 12% for the Jewish population.<ref>[http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf]</ref>

According to forecasts, the Muslim population will grow to over 2,000,000 people, or 24-26% of the population within the next 15 years. They will also comprise 85% of the Israeli Arab population in 2020 (Up 3% from 2005).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.cbs.gov.il/popisr/table5.pdf|title=Projections of population(1) in Israel for 2010-2025, by sex, age and population group|publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics\| format = PDF}} </ref> (See the section on Demographics below for more on this issue.)

====Bedouin====
{{See also|Negev Bedouins}}
[[Image:Beduintrackers.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|Bedouin Trackers in the Israeli Army]]
The term "[[Bedouin]]" or "Badawi" in Arabic defines a range of nomadic desert-dwelling ethnic groups spanning from the western [[Sahara]] desert to the [[Najd]] desert including on of its arms, the [[Negev]]. Through the latter half of the 19th century, the traditionally pastoral [[nomad]]ic Bedouin in [[Palestine]], began transitioning to a semi-nomadic pastoral agricultural community, with an emphasis on agricultural production and the privatization of tribal lands.<ref name=Bedouin>{{cite web|url=http://www.iwgia.org/graphics/Synkron-Library/Documents/Noticeboard/News/Middle%20East/Beduinreport2005.pdf|title=The Indigenous Bedouin of the Negev Desert in Israel|page=8|publisher=Negev Coexistence Forum|PDF format of report available at International Workgroup for Indigenous Affairs [http://www.iwgia.org/sw10543.asp]}} </ref>

Prior to the establishment of Israel in 1948, there were an estimated 65,000-90,000 Bedouin living in the Negev.<ref name=Bedouin/> The 11,000 who remained were relocated by the Israeli government in the 1950s and 1960s to an area called the "siyag" (closure) made up of relatively infertile land in the northeastern Negev comprising 10% of the Negev desert.<ref name=Bedouin/> Negev Bedouins, like the rest of the Arab population in Israel, lived under military rule up to 1966. Seven government developed cities and towns were established in the "siyag" area where roughly half of Israel's Bedouin population live today.<ref name=Bedouin/> According to the [[Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel]], 110,000 Bedouins live in the Negev, 50,000 in the Galilee and 10,000 in the central region of Israel.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/mfaarchive/1990_1999/1999/7/the%20bedouin%20in%20israel The Bedouin in Israel: Demography] [[Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] [[1999-07-01]]</ref>

The largest Bedouin locality in Israel is the city of [[Rahat]]. The Israeli government encourages Bedouin to settle as permanent residents in these development towns, but some 76,000 continue to live in tens of "unrecognized villages," some of which predate the existence of Israel.<ref name=Bedouin/> These villages do not appear on any Israeli maps, and are denied basic services like water, electricity and schools. It is forbidden by the Israeli authorities for the residents of these villages to build permanent structures, though many do, risking fines and home demolition.<ref name=Bedouin/>

Each year, between 5%-10% of the Bedouin population of draft age volunteer for the [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli army]], (unlike Jewish, Druze, and Circassian Israelis they are not required by law to do so).<ref>{{he icon}} [http://www.knesset.gov.il/protocols/data/html/bikoret/2004-10-11.html מישיבת הוועדה לענייני ביקורת המדינה]</ref> The legendary Israeli soldier, [[Amos Yarkoni]], first commander of the Shaked Reconnaissance Battalion in the [[Givati Brigade]], was a Bedouin (born ''Abd el-Majid Hidr'').

Some Arab Bedouins from the village of [[Dahaniya]] in the [[Gaza Strip]] were evacuated along with Jewish Israelis during [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan|the unilateral disengagement]] of 2005. Dahaniya was constructed by Israeli authorities after the Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai in 1979, to house Egyptian Bedouins evacuated from the Sinai region who had informed on their fellow Arabs during Israel's occupation there. Good relations with the Israelis allowed these Arabs to enjoy freedom of movement within Israeli areas in the Gaza Strip. Residents of the Jewish settlement of [[Kfar Yam]] referred to the Dahaniya community as their "neighbours."<ref>[http://www.gushkatif.net/sites/kefaryam.htm Gush Katif, Summer 2005: Kefar Yam]</ref> The village was also commonly known to both Palestinians and Israelis as the "village of traitors". Residents of Dahaniya had themselves requested that the Israeli military pull them out, claiming that without the presence of Israeli security forces to protect them, their lives would be in danger.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/07/17/MNG5GDPEJT1.DTL A quiet fear in a 'village of traitors'
Arabs who were informants for Israel to lose Gaza homes -- as will town's original residents</ref><ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-06-12-gaza-traitor_x.htm]</ref>

===Druze===
The [[Druze]] are members of a sect residing in many countries, although predominantly in mountainous regions in Israel, [[Lebanon]] and [[Syria]]. Druze in Israel live mainly in the north, notably in [[Carmel City]] near [[Haifa]]. There are also Druze localities in the [[Golan Heights]], which were captured in 1967 from Syria and annexed to Israel in 1981 .

It is in keeping with Druze religious practice to always serve the country in which they live.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=555549|title=Christian Arabs / Second in a series - Israel's Christian Arabs don't want to fight to fit in|first=Yoav|last=Stern|publisher=Haaretz|date=23/03/2005|accessdate=2006-01-07}}</ref> So while the Druze population in Israel are [[Arabic]] speakers like their counterparts in Syria and Lebanon, they often consider themselves Israeli and unlike the Arab Muslims and Arab Christians in Israel they rarely identify themselves as [[Palestinian]]s.<ref>''Identity Repertoires among Arabs in Israel'', by Muhammad Amara and Izhak Schnell; ''Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies'', Vol. 30, 2004</ref> As early as 1939, the leadership of one Druze village formally allied itself with pre-Israeli militias, like the [[Haganah]].<ref name="Kokkoken"> A separate "Israeli Druze" identity was encouraged by the Israeli government who formally recognized the Druze religious community as independent of the Muslim religious community in Israeli law as early as 1957.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Arabs in Israel.|author=[[Sabri Jiryis]].|publisher=The Institute for Palestine Studies.|date=1969, second impression.|page=145}}</ref>

The Druze are defined as a distinct ethnic group in the [[Israeli Ministry of the Interior's]] census registration. While the Israeli education system is basically divided into [[Hebrew]] and Arabic speaking schools, the Druze have autonomy within the Arabic speaking branch. <ref>{{cite book|title=The Arabs in Israel.|author=[[Sabri Jiryis]].|publisher=The Institute for Palestine Studies.|date=1969, second impression.|page=145}}</ref>

[[Image:Kara ayoob.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Ayoob Kara]]
The Druze of [[British Mandate Palestine]] showed little interest in [[Arab nationalism]] that was on the rise in the 20th century, and did not take part in the early Arab-Jewish skirmishes of the era either. By 1948 , many young Druze volunteered for the Israeli army and actively fought on their side. Unlike their Christian and Muslim counterparts, no Druze villages were destroyed in the 1948 war and no Druze left their settlements permanently.<ref name="IDMC">[http://www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/(httpEnvelopes)/F11200E8ECD83F71802570B8005A7276?OpenDocument Internal Displacement Monitoring Center]</ref> Unlike most other Arab citizens of Israel, right-wing Israeli political parties have appealed to many Druze. [[Ayoob Kara]], for example, represented the conservative [[Likud]] in the [[Knesset]], and other parties such as [[Shas]] and [[Israel Beytenu]] have likewise attracted Druze voters. Currently, a Druze MK, [[Majalli Wahabi|Majallie Whbee]] of the centrist [[Kadima]], as Deputy Speaker of the [[Knesset]], is next in line to the acting presidency.<ref>[http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467816438&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Druse MK next in line for presidency]</ref>

Druze are required to serve in the [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]] per an agreement made between their local religious leaders and the Israeli government in 1956. <ref>{{cite web|title=The Druze in Israel and the Question of Compulsory Militay Service|author=Zeidan Atashi|publisher=Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs|date=15 October 2001|url=http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp464.htm}}</ref> Opposition to the decision among the Druze populace was evident immediately, but was unsuccessful in reversing the decision. <ref>{{cite web|title=The Druze in Israel and the Question of Compulsory Military Service|author=Zeidan Atashi|publisher=Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs|date=15 October 2001|url=http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp464.htm}}</ref> It is estimated that 85% of Druze men in Israel serve in the army.<ref>[http://www.seedsofpeace.org/site/PageServer?pagename=OB_v9i1You Seeds of Peace - Olive Branch Magazine - What Are You?]</ref>
In recent years, a growing minority from within the Druze [[community]] have denounced this mandatory enrollment, and refused to serve.<ref>{{cite web|title=Waseem Kheir jailed for refusing compulsory military service for Arab Druze youth (''translation of Arabic headline'')|publisher=arabs48.com|date=April 24, 2006|url=http://www.arabs48.com/display.x?cid=1&sid=50&id=36313}}</ref><ref>[http://www.jcpa.org/jl/hit06.htm The Druze Minority in Israel]</ref> In 2001, Said Nafa, who identifies as a Palestinian Druze and serves as the head of the Balad party's national council, founded the "Pact of Free Druze", an organization that aims "to stop the conscription of the Druze and claims the community is an inalienable part of the Arabs in Israel and the Palestinian nation at large." <ref>{{cite web|title=Balad's MK-to-be: 'Anti-Israelization' conscientious objector|author=Yoav Stern and Jack Khoury|publisher=Ha'aretz, English edition|date=1 May 2007|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/854636.html}}</ref>

===Christian Arabs===
{{see also|Palestinian Christian}}
Christian Arabs comprise about 9% of the Arab population in Israel, and approximately 70% reside in the [[North District (Israel)|Galilee]].<ref>[http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf]</ref> [[Nazareth]] has the largest Christian Arab population.

[[Image:Boutros Mouallem.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Boutros Mouallem]]
Some Christian Arabs, like their Muslim and Druze counterparts, are active in Israeli politics and civil life. The only non-Jewish Arab judge to receive a permanent appointment to preside over Israel's Supreme Court is a Christian Arab, [[Salim Jubran]]. Notable Christian religious figures in Israel include the [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church|Melkite]] Archbishops of the Galilee [[Elias Chacour]] and [[Boutros Mouallem]], the [[Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem]] [[Michel Sabbah]] and [[Munib Younan]] of the Lutheran Church of Palestine and Jordan.

As regards military service, IDF figures indicate that in 2002 and 2003, Christians represented 0.1 percent of all conscripts. In 2004, the number of conscripts had doubled. Altogether, in 2003, the percentage of Christians serving had grown by 16 percent over the year 2000. The IDF does not publish figures on the exact number of conscripts by religious denomination, and it is estimated that merely a few dozen Christians currently serve in the IDF. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=555549|title=Christian Arabs / Second in a series - Israel's Christian Arabs don't want to fight to fit in|first=Yoav|last=Stern|publisher=Haaretz|date=23/03/2005|accessdate=2006-01-07}}</ref>

The general reticence of Christians to enlist can be attributed to their "genuine feeling of belonging to the Palestinian people" and the sense that such an act would constitute "a betrayal of the Muslim public and the Arab world." Many leading figures in the Palestinian movement have been Christian.
<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=555549|title=Christian Arabs / Second in a series - Israel's Christian Arabs don't want to fight to fit in|first=Yoav|last=Stern|publisher=Haaretz|date=23/03/2005|accessdate=2006-01-07}}</ref>

==Spatial distribution==
Arab citizens of Israel form a majority of the population (52%) in Israel's [[North_District_(Israel)|Northern District]] <ref name="CBS"/> and about 50% of the Arab population lives in 114 different localities throughout Israel.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Arab Minority in Israel|publisher=Arab Human Rights Association|url=http://www.arabhra.org/factsheets/factsheet0.htm}}</ref>In total there are 122 primarily if not entirely Arab localities in Israel, 89 of them having populations over two thousand.<ref>http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf
</ref> The seven townships as well as the [[Abu Basma Regional Council]] that have been constructed by the government for the Bedouin population of the Negev,<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/Bedouin.html The Bedouin in Israel]</ref> are the only Arab localities to have been established since 1948, with the aim of relocating the Arab Bedouin citizens (''see above section on '''Bedouin'''''). <ref>[http://www.arabhra.org/publications/wrap/2004/wrap199.pdf]</ref>, although over the same period Israeli state agencies have established over 600 Jewish settlements. <ref>[http://www.arabhra.org/publications/wrap/2004/wrap199.pdf]</ref>

46% of the country’s Arabs (622,400 people) live in predominantly-Arab communities in the north.<ref name="CBS"/> [[Nazareth]] is the largest Arab city, with a population of 65,000, roughly 40,000 of whom are Muslim. [[Shefa-'Amr]] has a population of approximately 32,000 and the city is mixed with sizable populations of Muslims, Christians and Druze.

14% of the Arab population live in the [[Haifa District]] predominantly in the [[Wadi Ara]] region. Here is the largest Muslim city, [[Umm al-Fahm]], with a population of 43,000. [[Baqa-Jatt]] and [[Carmel City]] are the two second largest Arab population centers in the district. The city of [[Haifa]] has an Arab population of 9%, particularly in the [[Wadi Nisnas]] neighborhood. 10% of the country's Arab population resides in the [[Center District (Israel)|Center District]] of Israel, primarily the cities of [[Tayibe]], [[Tira]], and [[Qalansawe]] as well as the mixed cities of [[Lod]] and [[Ramla]] which have primarily Jewish populations<ref>[http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf]</ref>

[[Jerusalem]], a "mixed" city, has the largest overall Arab population. Jerusalem housed 209,000 Arabs in 2000 and they make up some 33% of the city’s residents and together with the local council of [[Abu Ghosh]], some 19% of the country’s entire Arab population.

Of the remaining 11%, 10% live in Bedouin communities in the northwestern [[Negev Desert]]. The Bedouin city of [[Rahat]] is the only Arab city in the [[South District (Israel)|South District]] and it is the third largest Arab city in Israel.

The remaining 1% of the country's Arab population live in cities that are almost entirely Jewish such as, [[Nazaret Illit]] with an Arab population of 9% and [[Tel Aviv-Yafo]], 4%.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Arab Minority in Israel|publisher=Arab Human Rights Association|url=http://www.arabhra.org/factsheets/factsheet0.htm}}</ref><ref>http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf</ref>

===Major Arab localities===
{{main|List of Arab localities in Israel}}
Arabs make up the majority of the population of the "heart of the [[Galilee]]" and of the areas along the [[Green Line]] including the [[Wadi Ara]] region. Bedouin Arabs make up the majority of the northeastern section of the [[Negev]] Desert.

[[Image:Nazareth neighbourhood at sunset.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Nazareth]]
[[Image:Umelfahm.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Umm al-Fahm]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+Significant population centers
|-
!Locality!!Population!!District
|-
|[[Nazareth]]
|64,300
|[[North District (Israel)|North]]
|-
|[[Umm al-Fahm]]
|41,100
|[[Haifa District|Haifa]]
|-
|[[Rahat]]
|38,900
|[[South District (Israel)|South]]
|-
|[[Tayibe]]
|33,000
|[[Center District (Israel)|Center]]
|-
|[[Shefa-'Amr]]
|32,800
|[[North District (Israel)|North]]
|-
|[[Baqa-Jatt]]
|31,000
|[[Haifa District|Haifa]]
|-
|[[Shaghur]]
|28,500
|[[North District (Israel)|North]]
|-
|[[Tamra]]
|26,000
|[[North District (Israel)|North]]
|-
|[[Sakhnin]]
|24,400
|[[North District (Israel)|North]]
|-
|[[Carmel City]]
|24,000
|[[Haifa District|Haifa]]
|-
|[[Tira]]
|20,700
|[[Center District (Israel)|Center]]
|-
|[[Arraba]]
|19,600
|[[North District (Israel)|North]]
|-
|[[Maghar, Israel|Maghar]]
|18,700
|[[North District (Israel)|North]]
|-
|[[Kafr Kanna]]
|17,600
|[[North District (Israel)|North]]
|-
|[[Kafr Qasim]]
|17,200
|[[Center District (Israel)|Center]]
|}

== Demographic threat ==

In the Northren Part of Israel the precentge of Jewish population is declining[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3481768,00.html] This have alarmed Jewish Leaders. The phrase '''demographic threat''', (or '''demographic bomb''') is used in [[Israeli politics]] to describe the perceived threat the growth of its [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arab citizenry]] poses to its maintenance of its status as a [[Jewish state]].

The term was famously used by Benjamin Netanyahu in 2003<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=373225
|title=Netanyahu: Israel's Arabs are the real demographic threat
|date=18/12/2003
|publisher=[[Haaretz]]
|author=Sedan, Gil}}</ref> when he noted that if the percentage of Arab citizens rises above its current level of about 20 percent, Israel will not be able to remain both Jewish and democratic. Netanyahu's comments were criticized as racist by Arab Knesset members and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=373186&contrassID=1&subContrassID=7&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y
|title=MKs slam Netanyahu's remarks about Israeli Arabs
|date=18/12/2003}}</ref> Even earlier allusions to the "demographic threat" can be found in an internal Israeli government document authored in 1976, and known as [[The Koenig Memorandum]].

The increasing population of Arabs within Israel, and the majority status they hold in two major geographic regions - the Galilee and the Triangle - has become a growing point of open political contention in recent years. Dr. Wahid Abd Al-Magid, the editor of Al-Ahram's "Arab Strategic Report" predicts that "...The Arabs of 1948 (i.e. Israeli Arabs) may become a majority in Israel in 2035, and they will certainly be the majority in 2048." Among Arabs, Muslims have the highest birth rate, followed by Druze, and then Christians.<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/israeliarabs.html]</ref>

Some Israeli politicians advocate land-swap proposals in order to assure a continued Jewish majority within Israel. A specific proposal is that Israel transfer sovereignty of part of the Arab-populated [[Wadi Ara]] area (west of the [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]]) to a future Palestinian state, in return for formal sovereignty over the major Jewish settlement "blocks" that lie inside the [[West Bank]] east of the Green Line.)<ref>{{cite web|title=Trading Places|date=[[2005-08-14]]|author=Aluf Benn|publisher=The Washington Post|url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/13/AR2005081300091_pf.html}}</ref>

Critics of the Wadi Ara land swap plan have argued that this measure will not be enough since "The number of Arab Israelis would drop by 116,000-148,000, or a total of 8.2-10.5 percent of the Arab population of Israel, and just 2.1 percent of the population in general," while most Israeli Arabs object to trading Israeli citizenship for Palestinian citizenship.<ref>{{cite web|title=Israeli Arabs and the vote|date=[[2006-03-24]]|author=Uri Dromi|publisher=International Herald Tribune|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/23/opinion/eddromi.php}}</ref>

Israeli historian [[Benny Morris]] states:<blockquote>
The Israeli Arabs are a time bomb. Their slide into complete Palestinization has made them an emissary of the enemy that is among us. They are a potential fifth column. In both demographic and security terms they are liable to undermine the state. So that if Israel again finds itself in a situation of existential threat, as in 1948, it may be forced to act as it did then. If we are attacked by Egypt (after an Islamist revolution in Cairo) and by Syria, and chemical and biological missiles slam into our cities, and at the same time Israeli Palestinians attack us from behind, I can see an expulsion situation. It could happen. If the threat to Israel is existential, expulsion will be justified...<ref>{{cite web|title=Survival of the Fittest|date=[[2004-01-16]]|author=Ari Shavit|publisher=[[Haaretz]]|url=http://http://www.counterpunch.org/shavit01162004.html}}</ref></blockquote>

[[Avigdor Liberman]] of [[Yisrael Beytenu]], the 4th largest faction in the 17th Knesset) is one of the foremost advocates the transfer of large Arab towns located just inside Israel near the border with the [[West Bank]] (e.g. [[Tayibe]], [[Umm al-Fahm]], [[Baqa al-Gharbiyye]]), to the jurisdiction of the [[Palestinian Authority]] in exchange for [[Israeli settlement]]s located inside the [[West Bank]].<ref>Amayreh, Khalid. [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FED27702-1D56-4699-8BC1-3415D354D3B6.htm Israeli minister wants Arabs expelled]. ''al-Jazeera.'' May 9, 2005.</ref><ref>Avnery, Uri. [http://www.counterpunch.org/avnery03302006.html The Israeli Elections]. ''CounterPunch.'' March 30, 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=15312 Israel’s new political reality]. ''ISN''. March 31, 2006.</ref><ref>Prusher, Ilene. [http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0327/p06s02-wome.html Israeli right nips at Kadima]. ''Christian Science Monitor''. March 27, 2006.</ref><ref>O'Loughlin, Ed. [http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/israels-shunned-arabs-watch-poll-with-unease/2006/03/23/1143083906255.html Israel's shunned Arabs watch poll with unease]. ''The Age''. March 24, 2006.</ref><ref>Dromi, Uri. [http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/23/opinion/eddromi.php Israeli Arabs and the vote]. ''International Herald Tribune''. March 24, 2006.</ref><ref>Halpern, Orly. [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1139395674991&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Umm el-Fahm residents angry and apathetic before elections]. ''The Jerusalem Post''. March 26, 2006.</ref><ref>Sofer, Ronny. [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3231312,00.html Kadima's new 'enemy' - Lieberman]. ''YNet News.'' March 23, 2006.</ref> As the London ''[[The Times|Times]]'' notes: "Lieberman plans to strengthen Israel’s status as a Jewish state by transferring 500,000 of its minority Arab population to the West Bank, by the simple expedient of redrawing the West Bank to include several Arab Israeli towns in northern Israel. Another 500,000 would be stripped of their right to vote if they failed to pledge loyalty to Zionism."<ref>Farrell, Stephen and MacKinnon, Ian. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-2109796,00.html Winners and Losers on Israeli political scene]. ''The Times''. March 29, 2006.</ref>

In October of 2006, [[Yisrael Beytenu]] formally joined in the ruling government's parliamentary coalition, headed by [[Kadima]] and also made up of the [[Labour Party (Israel)|Labour Party]] and the [[Pensioner's Party]]. After the Israeli Cabinet confirmed Avigdor Lieberman's appointment to the position of Minister for Strategic Threats, Labour Party representative and Science, Sport and Culture Minister [[Ophir Pines-Paz]], resigned his post.<ref>{{cite web|url=?|title=Labor's Paz-Pines resigns as government minister|author=Jpost.com Staff|publisher=The Jerusalem Post, Online, English Edition|date=October 30, 2006|accessmonthday=October 31 | accessyear=2006.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=New Cabinet Appointment Tilts Israel to Right|author=Jim Teeple|publisher=Voice of America, Online English Edition|date=October 24, 2006|accessmonthday=October 31 | accessyear=2006|url=http://voanews.com/english/2006-10-24-voa7.cfm}}</ref> In his resignation letter to Ehud Olmert, Pines-Paz wrote, "I couldn't sit in a government with a minister who preaches racism"<ref>{{cite web|url=?|title=Pines-Paz: I can't sit in gov't with racist|author=Mazal Mualem|publisher=Ha'aretz Online, English Edition|date=October 31, 2006|accessmonthday=October 31 | accessyear=2006}}</ref>

A January 2006 study by the American-Israel Demographic Research Group rejects the "demographic time bomb" threat based on statistical data collected since 1995 that shows that Jewish Israeli births have increased rapidly while Arab Israeli births have begun to drop.<ref>Zimmerman, Roberta Seid and Michael L. Wise: [http://www.pademographics.com/Forecast%20for%20Israel%202025%20June%202006.ppt Forecast for Israel and West Bank 2025]. Sixth Herzliya Conference, January 23, 2006</ref> The study noted shortcomings in earlier demographic predictions (for example, in the 1960s, predictions suggested that Arabs would be the majority in 1990). The study also demonstrated that Christian Arab and Druze birth rates were actually below those of Jewish birth rates in Israel. The study used data from a Gallup poll to demonstrate that the desired family size for Arab and Jewish Israelis were the same. The study's population forecast for 2025 predicted that Arabs would comprise only 25.0% of the Israeli population.

== Legal and political status ==
{{Israelis}}
{{seealso|Arab members of the Knesset}}
[[Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel|Israel's Declaration of Independence]] called for the establishment of a Jewish state with equality of social and political rights, irrespective of religion, race or sex. This, however, has no legal status in regard to the rights of minorities. <ref>{{cite web|title=Declaration of Israel's Independence 1948|publisher=The Avalon Project at [[Yale University|Yale]] Law School|date=14 May 1948|accessdate=05.06.2007|url=http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/mideast/israel.htm}}</ref> Palestinian Arabs sat in the state's [[List of Members of the 1st Israeli Knesset Assembly|first parliamentary assembly]]; currently, 12 of the 120 members of the [[Knesset|Israeli Parliament]] are Arab citizens, most representing Arab political parties and one of Israel's [[Supreme Court of Israel|Supreme Court]] judges is a Palestinian Arab.<ref>{{cite web|title=Country's Report Israel|publisher=Freedom House|url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2006&country=6985}}</ref>

Israel does not a have written [[constitution]] but the rights of citizens are guaranteed by a set of Basic Laws.<ref>[http://www.knesset.gov.il/description/eng/eng_mimshal_yesod.htm]</ref> Although this set of laws does not explicitly include the term "right to equality", the Israeli Supreme Court has consistently interpreted "Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty"<ref>[http://www.knesset.gov.il/laws/special/eng/basic3_eng.htm]</ref> and "Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation (1994)"<ref>[http://www.knesset.gov.il/laws/special/eng/basic4_eng.htm] </ref>as guaranteeing equal rights for all Israeli citizens.<ref>[http://www.jfjfp.org/factsheets/arabsinisrael.htm] </ref>

[[Arabic language|Arabic]] is one of Israel's official languages, but its use is largely confined to Arab citizens themselves. Hebrew is the standard language of communication at places of work except in the Arab sector, and among recent immigrants, foreign workers, and with tourists. Government ministries publish all material intended for the public in Hebrew, though local offices often independently provide written material or services for languages for which a need is perceived. The country's laws are published in Hebrew, and eventually English and Arabic translations are published. <ref name="Spolsky">{{cite web|title=National Profiles of Languages in Education:Israel Language Policy|author=Bernard Spolsky and Elana Shohamy|publisher=Language Policy Research Center|date=July 1996|url=http://www.biu.ac.il/hu/lprc/lprcprof.htm}}</ref>

Many Arab citizens feel that the state, as well as society at large, actively discriminates against them. <ref>{{cite web|title=Stop Treating Arab Citizens Like Enemies|author=Roee Nahamias|publisher=Ynetnews.com|date=24 April 2007|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3391545,00.html}}</ref> The [[Minorities at Risk]] (MAR) group notes that Arabs citizens in Israel "suffer political discrimination based on decades of social exclusion." They characterize Israel's system of governance to be an "ethnic democracy" and further note that "the nationalism inherent in Israel’s foundation as a 'Jewish state' is at odds with its political basis of democratic governance vis-à-vis the Arab minority." On the other hand, the group also states that despite such factors, "Israeli Arabs are relatively much better off economically than neighboring Arabs."<ref>{{cite web|title=Assessment for Arabs in Israel|publisher=Minorities at Risk|accessmonthday=26 October | accessyear=2006|url=http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/inscr/mar/assessment.asp?groupId=66601}}</ref>

[[Phyllis Bennis]], a [[Middle East]] analyst, has stated:<blockquote>"All Israeli citizens, including Palestinians, have the right to vote in elections for members of the Knesset (parliament) and for the prime minister. But not all rights are citizenship rights. Other rights are defined as nationality rights, and are reserved for Jews only. If you are a Jew, you have exclusive use of land, privileged access to private and public employment, special educational loans, home mortgages, preferences for admission to universities, and many other things.<ref>[http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/BEN108A.html]</ref></blockquote> Roselle Tekiner, an anthropologist, also writes that while Israeli citizenship (in Hebrew, "ezrahut") can be held by Arabs as well as Jews, nationality ("le'om") rights "bestow significantly greater rights than citizenship, may be claimed by Jews alone."<ref>[http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0190/9001020.htm]</ref> The website for the Israeli government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that "Arab Israelis are citizens of the Israel with equal rights." It further states that "The only legal distinction between Arab and Jewish citizens is not one of rights, but rather of civic duty. Since Israel's establishment, Arab citizens have been exempted from compulsory service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)." <ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2001/8/Arab%20Israelis]</ref> Druze and [[Circassian]]s are drafted into the Israeli army, while other Arabs may serve voluntarily.

Amendment #9 to the 'Basic Law: The Knesset and the Law of Political Parties' passed on [[July 31]] [[1985]], changed section 7(a) to state that a political party "may not participate in the elections if there is in its goals or actions a denial of the existence of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, a denial of the democratic nature of the state, or incitement to racism."<ref>[http://www.knesset.gov.il/description/eng/eng_mimshal_yesod2.htm#2]</ref><ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2501/is_1_23/ai_76560794/pg_4]</ref> One party currently banned under this law is the right-wing Jewish [[Kach movement|Kach party]].<ref>[http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/key-issues/protecting/fto_aliases.shtml] Key Issues: Protecting Charitable organizations] US Department of the Treasury</ref>

An [[Israeli Central Elections Committee]] ruling which allowed the [[Progressive List for Peace]] to run for the Knesset in 1988 was challenged based on this amendment, but the committee's decision was upheld by the Israeli Supreme Court, which ruled that the PLP's platform calling for Israel to become "a state of all its citizens" does not violate the ideology of Israel as the State of the Jewish people, and thus section 7(a) does not apply.<ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2501/is_1_23/ai_76560794/pg_5]</ref>

On December 2005, member of Israeli Knesset [[Azmi Bishara]] told an audience in Lebanon that Arab citizens "...are like all Arabs, only with Israeli citizenship forced upon them ... Return Palestine to us and take your democracy with you. We Arabs are not interested in it."<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3186040,00.html]</ref> Bishara, at the time a member of the Knesset, and his party were banned by the [[Israeli Central Elections Committee]] in December 2002, for refusing to recognize Israel as a "Jewish democratic state"<ref>[http://www.globalpolicy.org/nations/citizen/2003/0108israeliarab.htm]</ref> and making statements promoting armed struggle against it. The Supreme Court overruled the decision in January 2003.<ref>[http://www.ceci.org.il/eng/research_item.asp?id=126]</ref>

In the public employment sphere, by the end of 2002, Arabs comprised 6.1% of the civil service workers in Israel; that is, of a total of 56,362 civil servants in Israel, only 3,440 were Arab.<ref>{{cite web|title=Follow up: Arab representation in the civil service, in government corporations and in the court system|author=Ali Haider|publisher=Sikkuy: The Association for the Advancement of Civic Equality in Israel|date=2003|url=http://www.sikkuy.org.il/2003/english03/pdf/civilEn03.pdf}}</ref> Inequality in funding between Jewish and Arab towns, and widespread discrimination present significant hurdles for Arab citizens of Israel.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5654988]</ref>

According to the [[2004]] [[U.S. State Department]] [[Country Reports on Human Rights Practices]] for Israel and the Occupied Territories, the Israeli government "did little to reduce institutional, legal, and societal [[discrimination]] against the country's Arab citizens."<ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41723.htm]</ref>

In January 2004, Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] declared that every state-run company must have at least one Arab Israeli on its board of directors.{{fact|date=November 2007}} [[Salah Tarif]], an Arab-Israeli, was a member of Sharon's cabinet until being convicted of [[Political corruption|corruption]].

===Political parties===
The [[Balad]] Party was founded by [[Azmi Bishara]] who resigned this year. It currently holds 3 seats in the Israeli Knesset. The party is currently led by [[Jamal Zahalka]]. The [[Hadash]] Party is a front for the [[Communist Party of Israel]], which has long played an important role in mobilizing the Arab Palestinian community and in demanding full equality for Arab citizens. It is currently led by [[Mohammed Barakeh]]. The [[United Arab List]] is a coalition of several different political organizations including the [[Islamic Movement (Israel)|Islamic Movement]]. It was founded in [[1996]] and is currently led by [[Ahmed Tibi]]. Arab participation can be seen in some of the [[Zionist]] parties, most notably the [[Labor Party (Israel)|Labor Party]].{{fact|date=August 2007}} Some Israeli Druze also vote for the [[Shas]], [[Likud]], [[Kadima]], and [[Yisrael Beitenu]] Parties.{{fact|date=August 2007}}

===Other political organizations===
====Abna el-Balad====
[[Abnaa el-Balad]]<ref>[http://www.abnaa-elbalad.org/] </ref> is a political movement that grew out of organizing by Arab university youth, beginning in 1969, that has experienced harassment by the Israeli authorities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Weekly Press Review No. 156|publisher=Arab Human Rights Association|date=7-13 February 2004|url=http://72.14.221.104/search?q=cache:6GGSi_GhgwQJ:www.arabhra.org/publications/wrap/2004/wrap156.pdf+Balad+Ibnaa&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Press Release|publisher=[[Ittijah]]-Union of Arab Community Based Associations|date=15 May 2001|url=http://www.ittijah.org/press/pr_01_05_15.html}}</ref> It is not affiliated with the Arab Knesset party Balad. While participating in municipal elections, Abnaa al-Balad firmly reject any participation in the Israeli Knesset.<ref>{{cite web|title=Why Abnaa al-Balad|publisher=Abnaa al-Balad|accessmonthday=27 October | accessyear=2006|url=http://www.abnaa-elbalad.org/harakeh.htm}}</ref> Political demands include " the return of all Palestinian refugees to their homes and lands, [an] end [to] the Israeli occupation and Zionist [[Allegations of Israeli apartheid|apartheid]] and the establishment [of] a democratic secular state in Palestine as the ultimate solution to the Arab-Zionist conflict."<ref>{{cite web|title=Why Abnaa al-Balad|publisher=Abnaa al-Balad|accessmonthday=27 October | accessyear=2006|url=http://www.abnaa-elbalad.org/harakeh.htm}}</ref>

====Ta'ayush====

[[Ta'ayush]] is "a grassroots movement of Arabs and Jews working to break down the walls of racism and segregation by constructing a true Arab-Jewish partnership."<ref>[http://taayush.tripod.com/new/we.html]</ref>

====Islamic Movement====
{{Expand|date=July 2007}}

==Recent political developments==
Some Arab Members of the [[Knesset]] (MKs), past and present, are under police investigation for their visits to countries designated as "enemy countries" by Israeli law. This law was amended following MK Mohammad Barakeh's trip to Syria in 2001, such that MKs must explicitly request permission to visit these countries from the Minister of the Interior. In August 2006, [[Balad]] MKs Azmi Bishara, [[Jamal Zahalka]] and [[Wasil Taha]] visited [[Syria]] without requesting nor receiving such permission, and a criminal investigation of their actions was launched. Former Arab Member of Knesset [[Muhammed Miari]] was questioned [[18 September]] [[2006]] by police on suspicion of having entered an "enemy country" without official permission. He was questioned "under caution" for 2.5 hours in the [[Petah Tikva]] station about his recent visit to Syria. Another former Arab Member of Knesset, [[Muhammed Kanaan]], has also been summoned for police questioning regarding the same trip.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/760939.html]</ref> The Arab Association of Human Rights has described these investigations as "a pure political decision not a legal decision ... part of the political policy by the State towards the Arab minority and their representatives."<ref>[http://www.arabhra.org/publications/wrap/2006/wrap292.doc]</ref>

According to a study commissioned by the Arab Association of Human Rights entitled "Silencing Dissent," over the past three years, eight of nine of these Arab Knesset members have been beaten by Israeli forces during demonstrations. Most recently according to the report, legislation has been passed, including three election laws [e.g., banning political parties], and two Knesset related laws aimed to "significantly curb the minority [Arab population] right to choose a public representative and for those representatives to develop independent political platforms and carry out their duties"<ref>[http://www.arabhra.org/publications/reports/PDF/SilencingDissentFinal.pdf#search=%22arab%20knesset%20silencing%20dissent%22 Silencing Dissent Report]</ref>

In February 2007, the [[New York Times]] reported that "A group of prominent Israeli Arabs has called on Israel to stop defining itself as a Jewish state, and become a 'consensual democracy for both Arabs and Jews,' prompting consternation and debate across the country." The call comes in a report, ''The Future Vision of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel'', published by the [[Committee of Arab Mayors in Israel]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/world/middleeast/08israel.html](Full text of the report in English: [http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=12082])</ref> The article further notes that, in a poll of Arab citizens of Israel conducted for the [[Konrad Adenauer]] Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation,<ref>[http://www.kas.de/db_files/dokumente/veranstaltungsbeitraege/7_dokument_dok_pdf_9995_1.pdf]</ref> "57 percent said they wanted a change in the character and definition of the state, whether to become a “state for all its citizens,” a binational state, or a consensual democracy."

On [[April 29]] [[2007]] [[Haaretz]] reported that an [[Israeli Democracy Institute]] (IDI) poll showed that 75% of "Israeli Arabs would support a constitution that maintained Israel's status as a Jewish and democratic state while guaranteeing equal rights for minorities."<ref name=poll>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/853564.html Poll: 75% of Israeli Arabs support Jewish, democratic constitution]</ref> Among the 507 people who participated in the poll, some 75 percent said they would agree with such a definition while 23 percent said they would oppose it.<ref name=poll/>

=== Examples of political, judicial and military representatives ===
'''Knesset:'''
Arab Israelis have been [[Arab members of the Knesset|elected to every Knesset]], and [[Israeli legislative election, 2006|currently]] hold 12 of its 120 seats. Two Arabs have served as full government ministers: [[Salah Tarif]], a Druze, served as a Minister Without Portfolio for ten months in 2001;<ref> [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/1/Saleh%20Tarif Saleh Tarif] Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs</ref> and [[Raleb Majadele]] was appointed as minister without portfolio on 28 January 2007.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/818567.html Cabinet okays appointment of Majadele as first Arab minister] Haaretz, 28 January 2007</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Labor MK Raleb Majadele to be appointed first Arab minister|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/812014.html|date=[[January 10]], [[2007]]|author=Yoav Stern|publisher=Haaretz}}</ref> The appointment of Majadele was criticized by Yisrael Beiteinu MK [[Esterina Tartman]] who said that the appointment was "a lethal blow to Zionism," and that it damages "Israel's character as a Jewish state." Tartman's comments drew condemnation across the mainstream Israeli political spectrum.<ref> [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/812625.html Lieberman calls on Peretz to quit post for appointing first Arab minister] Haaretz, 12 January 2007</ref> Yisrael Beiteinu party leader [[Avigdor Liberman]] explained that they had no problem with the appointment of an Arab but "The problem here is the timing and the fact that a minister in the State of Israel ([[Amir Peretz]] who chose the appointment) is using the tools he has wrongfully in order to promote himself politically".<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/race-row-as-israel-gets-arab-minister/2007/01/12/1168105181421.html Race row as Israel gets Arab minister]</ref> Meanwhile Arab lawmakers called the appointment an attempt to "whitewash Israel's discriminatory policies against its Arab minority".<ref>[http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-01/29/content_5666469.htm First appointment of Arab minister draws mixed reaction in Israel] ''China View''[http://news.xinhuanet.com]</ref>

[[Nawaf Massalha]], an Arab Muslim, has served in various junior ministerial roles, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs since 1999.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2000/8/Nawaf%20Massalha Nawaf Massalha] Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs</ref> The first female Arab MP was [[Hussniya Jabara]], a Muslim Arab from central Israel, who was elected in 1999.<ref>[http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2675/ Israeli Women Push to Change Knesset Politics]</ref>

'''Supreme Court:'''
[[Abdel Rahman Zuabi]], a secular Muslim from northern Israel, was the first Arab on the [[Israeli Supreme Court]], serving a 9-month term in 1999. In 2004, [[Salim Jubran]], a Christian Arab from [[Haifa]] descended from Lebanese Maronites, became the first Arab to hold a permanent appointment on the Court. Jubran's expertise lies in the field of [[criminal law]].<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Jubran.html Salim Jubran] Jewish Virtual Library</ref>

'''Foreign Service:'''
[[Ali Yahya]], an Arab Muslim, became the first Israeli Arab ambassador in 1995 when he was appointed ambassador to Finland. He served until 1999, and in 2006 was appointed ambassador to Greece. Other Arab ambassadors include [[Walid Mansour]], a Druze, appointed ambassador to Vietnam in 1999, and [[Reda Mansour]], also a Druze, a former ambassador to Ecuador. [[Mohammed Masarwa]], an Arab Muslim, was Consul-General in Atlanta. In 2006, [[Ismail Khaldi]] was appointed Israeli consul in San Francisco, becoming the first Bedouin consul of the State of Israel.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3266233,00.html|title=Israel's first Bedouin envoy|author=Asafa Peled|date=June 22, 2006|publisher=YNetNews}}</ref>

'''Israel Defence Force:'''
Arab Generals in the IDF include Major General [[Hussain Fares]], commander of Israel's border police, and Major General [[Yosef Mishlav]], head of the [[Israeli Home Front Command]] and current [[Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories]].<ref>[http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=7&x_issue=29&x_article=968]</ref> Both are members of the Druze community.

===Modifications to Citizenship and Entry Law===
{{seealso|Demographic threat (Israel)}}
On [[July 31]], [[2003]] Israel enacted the [[Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law]] (Temporary Provision), 5763-2003, a one year amendment to Israel's Citizenship Law denying citizenship and Israeli residence to Palestinians who reside in the [[West Bank]] or [[Gaza Strip]] and who marry Israelis, though this rule is waived for any Palestinian "who identifies with the State of Israel and its goals, when he or a member of his family has taken concrete action to advance the security, economy or any other matter important to the State." Upon expiry the law was extended for six months in August 2004, and again for 4 months in February [[2005]].[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/hrpa.html] The [[United Nations]] Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination unanimously approved a resolution saying that the Israeli law violated an international human rights treaty against racism.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3152651.stm |title=UN blasts Israeli marriage law |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=15 August, 2003}}</ref>

Although this law affected all Israelis, it disproportionately affected Israeli Arabs, and was considered by many to be highly discriminatory.<ref>[http://www.hanitzotz.com/challenge/82/citizenship.htm]</ref><ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/698447.html]</ref> Critics argue that the law is racist because it is targeted at Arabs, since Israeli Arabs are far more likely to have Palestinian spouses than other Israelis.<ref name="sfgate1">{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/08/01/MN110656.DTL |title=Israeli marriage law blocks citizenship for Palestinians |date=August 1, 2003 |publisher=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]}}</ref> On [[May 8]], [[2005]], The Israeli ministerial committee for issues of legislation once again amended the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, to restrict citizenship and residence in Israel only to Palestinian men over the age of 35, and Palestinian women over the age of 25. The new bill was formulated in accordance with [[Shin Bet]] statistics showing that involvement in terror attacks declines with age. This newest amendment, in practice, removes restrictions from half of the Palestinian population requesting legal status through marriage in Israel. This law was upheld by a High Court decision in 2006.<ref name="scotsman1">{{cite news |url=http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=721352006 |title=Arab spouses face Israeli legal purge |author=Ben Lynfield |publisher=[[The Scotsman]]}}</ref>

Defenders say the law is aimed at preventing terrorist attacks and preserving the "Jewish character" of Israel by restricting Arab immigration.<ref name="scotsman1"/>

==Economy==
===Economic development of the Israeli Arab community===
The predominant feature of the Israeli Arab community's economic development after 1949 was its transformation from a predominantly peasant farming population to, in large degree, a proletarian industrial workforce. It has been suggested that the economic development of the community was marked by distinct stages. The first period, until 1967 , was characterised by this process of proletarianisation. From 1967 on, economic development of the population was encouraged and a Arab [[bourgeoisie]] began to develop on the margin of the Jewish bourgeoisie. From the [[1980s]] on, the community developed its economic and, in particular, industrial potential.<ref>Féron, pp. 40-41, see also Kodmani, p. 127</ref>

In July 2006, the Israeli Government decided to brand all Arab communities in the country as 'class A' development areas, thus making them eligible for tax benefits. This decision aims to encourage investments in the Arab sector.<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3273263,00.html]</ref>

Raanan Dinur, director-general of Prime Minister office, said in early December 2006 that Israel had finalized plans to set up a NIS 160 million private equity fund to help develop the businesses of the country's Arab community over the next decade. According to Dinur, companies owned by Israeli Arabs will be eligible to apply to the fund for as much as NIS 4 million (USD 952,000), enabling as many as 80 enterprises to receive money over the next 10 years. The Israeli government will, according to Dinur, solicit bids to operate the fund from various financial institutes and private firms, which must pledge to raise at least NIS 80 million (about USD 19 million) from private investors.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3338907,00.html|title=State to raise NIS 160 mn for Arab businesses|author=The Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute|publisher=''[[Ynetnews]]''|date=12.12.06}}</ref>

===Current economic situation===
While there are claims that one-half of all Arab families in Israel live under the poverty line (49.9% in 2004) a recent research by "Sikui" (means "Opportunity") an NGO dedicated for the advancements of Arabs in Israel found that Arabs as a group as the highest home ownership in Israel: 92.6% compare to 70% among Jews. This high number is higher even the top 10% of Israeli Jews [http://news.walla.co.il/?w=//1088730]. The claims for rate of poverty are mostly influenced by the low reported wages data while Jewish families has more reported income . The data does not include "the enclaves of deep poverty among Bedouins"<ref name=Shamir>{{cite web|title=The Arabs in Israel – Two Years after The Or Commission Report|author=Professor (Emeritus) Shimon Shamir|publisher=The Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation|page=17|date=September 19, 2005, PDF format at http://www.dayan.org/kapjac/files/shamirEng.pdf|url=http://72.14.221.104/search?q=cache:DPczMyN0nWkJ:www.dayan.org/kapjac/files/shamirEng.pdf}}</ref> According to the [[New York Times]] (8 February 2007), "a recent report on poverty published last year by Israel’s National Insurance Institute indicated that 53 percent of the impoverished families in Israel are Arabs."<ref> [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/world/middleeast/08israel.html?pagewanted=2 New York Times "Noted Arab Citizens Call on Israel to Shed Jewish Identity"]</ref>

Of the 40 towns in Israel with the highest unemployment rates, 36 are Arab towns.<ref name=Shamir/>
Difficulties in procuring employment have been attributed to a comparatively low level of education vis-a-vis their Jewish counterparts, insufficient employment opportunities in the vicinity of their towns, discrimination by Jewish employers, and competition with foreign workers in fields, such as construction, agriculture, etc.<ref name=Shamir/>

According to the Central Bank of Israel statistics for 2003, for those Arabs citizens who are employed, salary averages are 29% lower than salary averages for Jewish workers.<ref name=Shamir/>

A major factor in the situation of some of the Arab towns can be traced to statistical figures showing that Israeli Arab towns are reluctant to collect city taxes from their residents. "The Arab authorities demand equal rights, but they forget that first of all they have to fulfil the same duties that the Jewish authorities do, first and foremost, to collect tax from the residents," complain Jerusalem circles. Without tax collection, the Arab towns are in a state of perpetual crisis, and all plans and programs to better their lot go nowhere. They can't pay their workers and the distance from there to a nationwide strike is short indeed.<ref> [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/795055.html Haartez "The Bottom Line / Arab municipalities do not believe in equality in debts"]</ref>

Another factor is the low participation of Arab women in the work force relative to both religious and secular Jewish women. While among Arab men the employment is on par with Jewish men – only 17% of Arab women work. This puts the Arab employment at 68% of the Israeli average. Druze and Christian groups have much higher participation than Muslims.[http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0734-306X(198501)3%3A1%3CS310%3AJMGTWT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L][http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=4827FCE4666F50EF1AEF78B147CF673D.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=39001]

[[Freedom House]] reported in 2006 that education, housing, and social services of the Arab population is inferior in relation to the Jewish population; the fact that the majority of them do not join the army (making them ineligible for financial benefits, including [[scholarship]]s and [[housing]] [[loan]]s) may be a factor.<ref>[http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2006&country=6985 Freedom House: Country Report]</ref>

==Health==
Due largely to improvements in health care, the [[infant mortality]] rate for Arabs, dropped from 32 deaths per thousand births in 1970 to 8.6 per thousand in 2000.<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/israeliarabs.html]</ref> In 2003, the [[infant mortality]] rate in the Arab sector was 8.4 per thousand, more than twice as high as the rate 3.6 per thousand among the Jewish population.<ref>[http://72.14.221.104/search?q=cache:ZDanD9J4Fl8J:www.arabhra.org/publications/reports/PDF/CEDAW_FullReport.pdf]</ref>

Life expectancy has increased 27 years since 1948. The most common health-related causes of death are heart disease and cancer. Around half of all Arab men smoke, and roughly 14% were diagnosed with diabetes in 2000.<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/israeliarabs.html]</ref>

In the 2002 budget, Israel's health ministry allocated 1.6 m shekels (£200,000) to Arab communities out of its 277 m-shekel (£35m) budget to develop healthcare facilities.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1703245,00.html]</ref>

==Education==
The Israeli government regulates and finances most of the schools operating in the country, including the majority of those run by private organizations. The national school system has two major branches - a Hebrew-speaking branch and an Arabic-speaking branch. The curricula for the two systems are almost identical in mathematics, sciences and English. It is different in humanities (history, literature etc.). While Hebrew is taught as a second language in Arab schools since the third grade and obligatory for Arabic-speaking school's matriculation exams, only basic knowledge of Arabic is taught in Hebrew-speaking schools, usually from the 7th to the 9th grade. Arabic is not obligatory for Hebrew speaking school's matriculation exams. The schooling language split operate from preschool, up through to the end of the high school. At the university level, they merge into a single system, which operates mostly in Hebrew and in English.<ref>[http://hrw.org/reports/2001/israel2/JILPfinal.pdf] </ref>

The Follow-Up Committee for Arab Education notes that the Israeli government spends an average of $192 per year on each Arab student compared to $1,100 per Jewish student. The drop-out rate for Arab citizens of Israel is twice as high as that of their Jewish counterparts (12 percent versus 6 percent). The same group also notes that there is a 5,000-classroom shortage in the Arab sector.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arab Sector: NIF Grantees Fight Discrimination in Arab Education|publisher=New Israel Fund|date=September 13, 2005|url= http://www.nif.org/content.cfm?id=2343&currbody=1}} </ref>

In 2001, [[Human Rights Watch]] issued a report that stated: "Government-run Arab schools are a world apart from government-run Jewish schools. In virtually every respect, Palestinian Arab children get an education inferior to that of Jewish children, and their relatively poor performance in school reflects this."<ref>[http://hrw.org/english/docs/2001/12/05/isrlpa3399.htm] </ref>The report found striking differences in virtually every aspect of the education system.<ref>[http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/israel2/ISRAEL0901-01.htm]</ref><ref>[http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/israel2/ Second Class - Discrimination Against Palestinian Arab Children in Israel's Schools], [[Human Rights Watch]].</ref>

According to the [[2004]] [[U.S. State Department]] [[Country Reports on Human Rights Practices]] for ''Israel and the occupied territories'', "Israeli Arabs were underrepresented in the student bodies and faculties of most universities and in higher professional and business ranks. The Bureau of Statistics noted that the median number of school years for the Jewish population is 3 years more than for the Arab population. Well educated Arabs often were unable to find jobs commensurate with their level of education. According to Sikkuy, Arab citizens held approximately 60 to 70 of the country's 5,000 university faculty positions."<ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41723.htm]</ref>

==Allegations of Discrimination==
''See also: [[anti-Arabism#Anti-Arabism in Israel|anti-Arabism in Israel]] and [[Allegations of Israeli apartheid]]''

While formally equal according to Israeli law, a number of sources assert that Israeli Arabs experience discrimination in many aspects of life. Judge (Ret.) Theodor Or wrote in [[Or Commission|The Report by the State Commission of Inquiry into the Events of October 2000]]:
<blockquote>The Arab citizens of Israel live in a reality in which they experience discrimination as Arabs. This inequality has been documented in a large number of professional surveys and studies, has been confirmed in court judgments and government resolutions, and has also found expression in reports by the state comptroller and in other official documents. Although the Jewish majority’s awareness of this discrimination is often quite low, it plays a central role in the sensibilities and attitudes of Arab citizens. This discrimination is widely accepted, both within the Arab sector and outside it, and by official assessments, as a chief cause of agitation.<ref> Or Commission Report, page 33, ''Israel Studies'', vol. 11, no. 2, 25-53</ref></blockquote>

The [[2004]] [[U.S. State Department]] [[Country Reports on Human Rights Practices]]<ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41723.htm]</ref> notes that:

*"According to a 2003 [[Haifa University]] study, a tendency existed to impose heavier prison terms to Arab citizens than to [[Jewish]] citizens. Human rights advocates claimed that Arab citizens were more likely to be convicted of murder and to have been denied bail."

*"The Orr Commission of Inquiry's report ... stated that the 'Government handling of the Arab sector has been primarily neglectful and discriminatory,' that the Government 'did not show sufficient sensitivity to the needs of the Arab population, and did not take enough action to allocate state resources in an equal manner.' As a result, 'serious distress prevailed in the Arab sector in various areas. Evidence of distress included [[poverty]], [[unemployment]], a shortage of land, serious problems in the education system, and substantially defective infrastructure.'"

*"According to a report by [[Mossawa]], [[racist]] violence against Arab citizens has increased, and the Government has not done enough to prevent this problem. The annual report cited 17 acts of violence by Jewish citizens against Arab citizens. ... A Haifa University poll released in June revealed that over 63 percent of Jews believed that the Government should encourage Israeli Arabs to [[emigrate]]."

*"Approximately 93 percent of land in the country was [[public domain]], including that owned by the state and some 12.5 percent owned by the [[Jewish National Fund]] (JNF). All public land by law may only be leased, not sold. The JNF's statutes prohibit the sale or lease of land to non-Jews. In October, civil rights groups petitioned the High Court of Justice claiming that a bid announcement by the Israel Land Administration (ILA) involving JNF land was discriminatory in that it banned Arabs from bidding."

*"Israeli-Arab advocacy organizations have challenged the Government's policy of demolishing illegal buildings in the Arab sector, and claimed that the Government was more restrictive in issuing [[building permit]]s in Arab communities than in Jewish communities, thereby not accommodating [[natural growth]]. In February, security forces demolished several homes allegedly built without authorization in the Arab village of [[Bi'ina]]."

*"In June, the Supreme Court ruled that omitting Arab towns from specific government social and economic plans is discriminatory. This judgment builds on previous assessments of disadvantages suffered by Arab Israelis."

*"Israeli-Arab organizations have challenged as discriminatory the 1996 "[[Master Plan for the Northern Areas of Israel]]," which listed as priority goals increasing the Galilee's Jewish population and blocking the [[territorial contiguity]] of Arab towns."

*"Israeli Arabs were not required to perform mandatory [[military service]] and, in practice, only a small percentage of Israeli Arabs served in the military. Those who did not serve in the army had less access than other citizens to social and economic benefits for which military service was a [[prerequisite]] or an [[advantage]], such as housing, new-household [[subsidies]], and employment, especially government or security-related industrial employment. Regarding the latter, for security reasons, Israeli Arabs generally were restricted from working in companies with defense contracts or in security-related fields. The Ivri Committee on National Service has issued official recommendations to the Government that Israel Arabs not be compelled to perform national or "civic" service, but be afforded an opportunity to perform such service".

Other examples include:
*[[Human Rights Watch]] has claimed that cuts in veteran benefits and child allowances based on parents' military service discriminate against Arab children, however "The cuts will also affect the children of Jewish ultra-orthodox parents who do not serve in the military, but they are eligible for extra subsidies, including educational supplements, not available to Palestinian Arab children."<ref>[http://hrw.org/english/docs/2002/06/07/isrlpa4026.htm Israel: Cuts in Child Allowance Discriminate Against Palestinian Arab], [[Human Rights Watch]].</ref>

Pro-Israeli advocacy groups claim that Arabs in Israel have even more rights than Israeli Jews since they are not required to serve in military still have all the rights, plus various cases of Israeli courts favoring Arabs' cases over Jews (including land issues).<ref>[http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=2&x_article=39]</ref>

One of the controversies has been the request of some Arab politicians to change the [[flag|Israeli flag]] and [[Hatikva|National Anthem]]. The Arab politicians believe that the flag only resembles a Jewish symbol. Opponents of this claim say that many flags in Europe bear crosses such as the flags of [[Sweden]], [[Finland]], [[Norway]], [[United Kingdom]], [[Scotland]], [[England]], [[Switzerland]], [[Greece]] and more. Countries like [[Iraq]], [[Saudi Arabia]], and [[Turkey]] portray Islamic symbols without complaints from the minorities. These claims by the Arab leaders often leads to criticism. One Israel-supporter sarcastically remarked: "Why don't they change the country's name too?"<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/798478.html This means war By Avraham Tal]</ref>

<blockquote>
The leadership and the liberal Jewish public accept Israeli Arabs as citizens with equal rights, with the exception of certain areas that touch on Israel's essence as a Jewish state (such as the Law of Return and the Law of Citizenship). All would agree that, over the years, the Arab minority has suffered discrimination in certain areas and that this must be remedied. But the leaders of the Arabs in Israel are trying to show that their loyalty is not given to the State of Israel in its present incarnation, but only to a binational Jewish-Arab state on the territory of Israel, or to a Palestinian state on all the territory of the Land of Israel.
</blockquote>

The National Committee for the Heads of the Arab Local Authorities in Israel addressed this accusation in a document produced in December 2006 thusly, "The Israeli legal system includes a number of core laws that produce and reinforce inequality between the Arabs and the Jews in Israel (de jure) ... The official bias is not restricted to symbols such as the Israeli flag, but also to deeper legal issues concerning all Palestinian Arabs ... [t]he official definition of Israel as a Jewish state created a fortified ideological barrier in the face of obtaining full equality for the Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel ... We, the Palestinians in Israel, are an integral part of this place ... Israel has tried over the past decades to disengage us from this place, not through physical transfer but through intellectual emotional transfer. Israel has tried to create a new identity on the basis of 'loyalty to the state' ... The State has not determined a position acceptable to us yet in terms of nurturing our Arab culture."<ref>{{cite web|title=The Future Vision of Palestinian Arabs in Israel|author=The National Committee for the Heads of the Arab Local Authorities in Israel|date=December 2006|url=http://www.mossawacenter.org/files/files/File/Reports/2006/Future%20Vision%20(English).pdf}}</ref>

[[Mitchell G. Bard]] addresses concerns of inequality in his book book ''Myths and Facts: a Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict''. He writes that "Arabs in Israel have equal voting rights; in fact, it is one of the few places in the Middle East that women may vote. […] Israeli Arabs have also held various government posts […]"

According to Bard, "The sole legal distinction between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel is that the latter are not required to serve in the Israeli army. This is to spare Arab citizens the need to take up arms against their brethren. Nevertheless, [[Bedouin]]s have served in paratroop units and other Arabs have volunteered for military duty. Compulsory military service is applied to the [[Druze]] and [[Circassian]] communities at their own request."

== Intercommunal relations==

===Public attitudes===
There are significant tensions between Arab citizens and their Jewish counterparts. A 2006 poll commissioned by the Arab advocacy group, The Center for the Struggle Against Racism, found that: 63% of Jews believe Arabs are a security threat; 68% of Jews would refuse to live in the same building as an Arab; 34% of Jews believe that Arab culture is inferior to Israeli culture. Additionally, support for segregation between Jewish and Arab citizens was found to be higher among Jews of Middle Eastern origin than those of European origin.<ref>Ashkenazi, Eli and Khoury, Jack. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=697458&contrassID=1&subContrassID=7 Poll: 68% of Jews would refuse to live in same building as an Arab]. ''Haaretz''. March 22, 2006. Accessed March 30, 2006.</ref>

In December 2007, the [[Association for Civil Rights in Israel]] reported a "dramatic increase" in racism against Arab citizens, including a 26 percent rise in anti-Arab incidents. According to ACRI president [[Sami Michael]], "Israeli society is reaching new heights of racism that damages freedom of expression and privacy".<ref>[http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/932384.html Civil rights group: Israel has reached new heights of racism] Yuval Yoaz and Jack Khoury, [[Haaretz]] 9 December 2007</ref>

A recent poll conducted by the Center of Anti-Racism based on questions asked to 500 selective Jewish residents of Israel representing all levels of the Jewish society showed unexpectedly negative attitudes towards Arabs. According to the official results:
* 75% would not agree to live in a building with Arab residents.
* More than 60% wouldn't accept any Arab visitors at their homes.
* About 40% agree upon taking the [[Suffrage|right to vote]] from Arabs.
* More than 50% agree that the State should encourage [[immigration]] of Arab citizens to other states.
* More than 59% think that the culture of Arabs is a [[primitive culture]].
When asked "What do you feel when you hear people speaking Arabic?" 31% said they feel hate and 50% said they feel fear, with only 19% stating positive or neutral feelings.<ref>[http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3381836,00.html]</ref>

A 2007 poll conducted by Sami Smoocha, a sociologist at [[Haifa University]], found that
*63.3% of Israeli Jews said they avoid entering Arab towns and cities
*68.4% of Israeli Jews fear the possibility of widespread civil unrest among Israeli Arabs
*49.7% of Israeli Arabs said Hizbullah's capture of IDF reservists [[Ehud Goldwasser]] and [[Eldad Regev]] in a cross-border raid was justified
*18.7% of Israeli Arabs thought Israel was justified in going to war following the kidnapping
*The fact that Arab Israelis were affected, and some wounded and killed due to Hezbollah rocket fire did not make an apparent impact on Arab opinion. 48.2% said they believed that Hizbullah's rocket attacks on northern Israel during [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict|that war]] were justified
*89.1% of Israeli Arabs said they viewed the IDF's bombing of Lebanon as a war crime
*44% of Israeli Arabs said they viewed Hizbullah's bombing of Israel as a war crime
*62% of Israeli Arabs worry that Israel could transfer their communities to the jurisdiction of a future Palestinian state
*60% of Israeli Arabs said they are concerned about a possible mass expulsion
*76% of Israeli Arabs described [[Zionism]] as racist
*67.5% of Israeli Arabs said they would be content to live in the [[Jewish state]], if it existed alongside a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip
*28% of Israeli Arabs [[Holocaust denial|deny the Holocaust]]; among high school and college graduates the figure was even higher (33%)[http://media.haifa.ac.il/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1868&Itemid=60]

===Inter-communal violence===
Though many point to such attitudes as evidence of racism in Israeli society, other counter that these attitudes are attributable to the security situation, as there have been some cases where Arabs inside Israel have been arrested for aiding terrorists. Several Arab citizens of Israel have been convicted of espionage for [[Hezbollah]].<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=280844&contrassID=2&subContrassID=4&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y][http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtml?itemNo=636473][http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtml?itemNo=643653]</ref> A small minority of Arab citizens have also played a role in some attacks, assisting Palestinian suicide bombers reach cities in Israel.<ref>[http://www.ajn.com.au/pages/archives/intifada/0028-intifada-02.html]</ref> On [[March 1st]], [[2007]], for example, 3 Israeli citizens, 2 of them Arabs, were convicted of manslaughter for smuggling the suicide bomber of the [[July]] [[2005]] attack in [[Netanya]] that killed five and wounded 30 from the West Bank into Israel.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/832234.html 3 Israelis convicted of manslaughter for transporting suicide bomber]</ref> The first and only suicide bombing physically carried out by an Arab citizen of Israel was on [[September 9]] [[2001]], against soldiers and civilians disembarking from a train in the [[Nahariya]] station, killing 3 and wounded 90.<ref>{{cite web|title=Loyalties|author=Johnathan Wilson|publisher|Washington Post|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/08/AR2006060801424.html}}</ref><ref>[http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/isrl-pa/ISRAELPA1002-08.htm] </ref> Most earlier examples of Arab violence against Jews resulting in fatalities took place during the [[1948 Arab-Israeli war]], with the exception of one case on [[1 January]] [[1952]] when seven armed Arab citizens attacked and killed a nineteen year-old girl in her home in Jerusalem.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-%20Obstacle%20to%20Peace/Palestinian%20terror%20before%202000/Which%20Came%20First-%20Terrorism%20or%20Occupation%20-%20Major]</ref>

{{seealso|List of massacres committed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war}}

Arab citizens have also been subject to violence resulting in fatalities at the hands of their Jewish counterparts. The most notable example outside of attacks that took place during the [[1948 Arab-Israeli war]] was the [[August 4]] [[2005]] [[Eden Nathan-Zadah#The Shfar.27am attack|The Shfar'am attack]], when four Arab citizens were shot dead on a bus by an 18-year old AWOL [[Israel Defense Force|IDF]] soldier.

Arab citizens have sustained a number of fatalities at the hands of Israeli security forces, sometimes on a background of violent demonstrations and riots. Occurrences include the [[October 1956]] [[Kafr Qasim massacre]] (48 dead), the March 1976 [[Land Day]] demonstrations (6 dead), and the [[October 2000 events]] in which 12 Arab citizens and one Palestinian from Gaza were killed.

Arab citizens have also been victims of Palestinian, Arab, or Islamist attacks on Israel and Israelis. For example, on [[September 12]], [[1956]], three Druze guards were killed in an attack on [[Ein Ofarim]], in the [[Arabah]] region.<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/terror1952_1989.html]</ref> Two Arab citizens were killed in the [[Ma'alot massacre]] carried out by the [[Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] on [[May 15]] [[1974]]. In [[March 2002]], a resident of the Arab town of [[Tur'an]] was killed in an attack on a Haifa restaurant<ref name=Haaretz>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=312052&contrassID=2&subContrassID=14&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y|title=The other victims|author=Vered Levy-Barzilai|publisher=[[Haaretz]]}}</ref> Two months later, a woman from [[Jaffa]] was killed in a [[Hamas]] [[suicide attack|suicide bomb]]ing in [[Rishon LeZion]]<ref name=Haaretz/> On [[June 18]], [[2002]]: A woman from the Arab border town of [[Barta'a]] was one of 19 killed by Hamas in the [[Patt junction massacre]] in [[Jerusalem]]<ref name=Haaretz/> In [[August 2002]], a man from the Arab town of [[Mghar]] and woman from the Druze village of [[Sajur]] were killed in a suicide bombing at [[Meron]] junction<ref name=Haaretz/> On [[October 21]], [[2002]], an [[Carmel City|Isfiya]] man and a [[Tayibe]] woman were among 14 killed by [[Islamic Jihad]] in the [[Egged bus 841 massacre]].<ref name=Haaretz/> On [[March 5]], [[2003]], a 13 year old girl from the Druze town of [[Daliyat al-Karmel]] was one of 17 killed in the [[Haifa bus 37 massacre]].<ref name=Haaretz/> In [[May 2003]]: A [[Jisr az-Zarqa]] man, was killed in an [[Afula]] mall suicide bombing.<ref name=Haaretz/> On [[March 19]], [[2004]], [[Fatah]] [[al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades]] gunmen killed [[George Khoury]], a [[Hebrew University]] student. <ref>[http://www.israel.org/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2004/George+Khoury.htm]</ref> On [[December 12]], [[2004]], five Arab Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion and shooting at the border with Egypt for which the [[Fatah Hawks]] claimed responsibility.<ref>[http://www.standwithus.com/pdfs/flyers/postArafatViolence.pdf]</ref> On [[October 4]], [[2003]], four Arab Israelis were among the 21 killed by [[Hanadi Jaradat]] in the [[Maxim restaurant suicide bombing]]. In [[July 2006]], 19 Arab citizens were killed due to [[Hezbollah]] rocket fire in the course of the [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict]]

On [[August 22]] [[2006]], 11 Israeli Arab tourists were killed when their [[Sinai bus accident|bus overturned]] in Egypt's [[Sinai Peninsula]]. Israel sent [[Magen David Adom]], but the ambulances waited for hours at the border before receiving Egyptian permission to enter and treat the wounded, responsible for at least one of the deaths. The victims say that the driver acted as part of a planned terrorist attack, and are attempting to receive compensation from the government.<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3303434,00.html Israeli Arabs against Mubarak: Learn from Israel]</ref><ref>[http://www.pressmethod.com/releasestorage/17932.htm Israeli Arab Survivors Of Bus Overturn In Egypt Want Compensation As Terror Victims]</ref>

===Examples of integration===
''See also: [[List of Prominent Arab citizens of Israel]]''

The only non-Jew owning a business in the [[Jewish Quarter]] of Jerusalem's [[Old City]] is an Israeli Arab Muslim baker. His food and facility is certified [[kosher]] and (like all business in the Jewish Quarter) his shop is closed on the Jewish [[Shabbat|Sabbath]] and holidays.

In 1999, an Arab woman was named Miss Israel, a first in the nation's history. "I am totally Israeli, and I do not think about whether I am an Arab or a Jew", 21-year-old [[Rana Raslan]], from Haifa, said at the pageant. "They wanted a beauty queen, not a political queen." News of her victory made headlines across Israel and the world. She is a secular Muslim.

In November 2003, the Israeli Christian Arab Firas Houri won the popular Israeli reality-show, the first of its kind, "Project Y".<ref> [http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/1,7340,L-2823835,00.html Y-net, "and the winner of Project Y: Firas"].</ref>

In January 2005, The [[Palestine national football team]] signed Israeli Arab [[Azmi Nassar]] as their new national team coach for a two-year contract.<ref>{{cite web|title= Palestinian soccer: a leg up on statehood?|date=[[2000-03-07]]|publisher=[[Christian Science Monitor]]|url= http://csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/durableRedirect.pl?/durable/2000/03/07/p1s4.htm}}</ref> Arab footballers in Israel regularly play in football teams which are dominantly Jewish and vice-versa.

In April 2006, Niral-Najin Krantangi, A 20 year old Muslim Arab woman from Haifa won the Israeli TV reality show "The Super Models".<ref>{{he icon}} {{cite news|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3236791,00.html|title=אל אל, ניראל|date=[[2006-04-06]]|publisher=Ynet News}}</ref><ref>{{he icon}} {{cite news|url=http://www.nrg.co.il/online/7/ART1/070/276.html|title=ניראל לקחה|date=[[2006-04-05]]|publisher=NRG Maariv}}</ref>

On [[December 21]], [[2006]], the [[Israel Airports Authority]] ordered the establishment of a Muslim prayer room at [[Ben Gurion International Airport]] to serve the port's Muslim passengers. The Citizens' Accord Forum between Jews and Arabs in Israel conceived the plan that aims at encouraging dialogue between Arab passengers and the IAA. He said they planned to put Arabic signs in Ben Gurion, set up an Arabic Web site, and create a unity for Relations with Minorities that provides assistance in Arabic. The IAA recently launched an Arabic-speaking version of its website. The airport also hired more Arabic-speaking security officers to build trust with Arab travelers who complain of [[racial profiling]], harassment and discrimination during security checks.<ref>[http://english.aad-online.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1638 How do they know you’re an Arab? By the sticker]</ref><ref>[http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/513/623.html How do they know you're an Arab? By the sticker] Hebrew original</ref><ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3342862,00.html]<
</ref><ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/827861.html Come with me, please] [[Haaretz]] 5 March 2007 </ref><ref>[http://www.newisraelfund.org/content.cfm?id=2869&currBody=1 Humiliation at Ben-Gurion Airport]Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian
5 December 2006 </ref>

In 2007 Ra'adi Sfori became the first Israeli Arab to be elected a director of the [[Jewish National Fund]] despite attempts by some JNF members to cancel the appoinment.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/878859.html Israeli Arab appointed as a JNF director despite court appeal] Haaretz, 5 July 2007</ref>

==Culture==
Many Arab citizens of Israel share in the culture of the [[Palestinian people]] and wider Arab region of which many of them form a part. There are still some women who produce Palestinian cultural products such as [[Palestinian costumes#Pre-1948#Palestinian embroidery|Palestinian embroidery]],<ref>[http://imeu.net/news/article003822.shtml] [http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/cms/content/view/86/125/]</ref> and [[Palestinian costumes|costume]]. The Palestinian folk dance, known as the [[dabka|debke]], continues to be taught to youth in cultural groups, and is often danced at weddings and other parties.

[[Palestinian music|Palestinian]] and [[Arabic music]] are popular listening choices. A new generation of Arab youth in Israel has also begun asserting a Palestinian identity in new musical forms, like Arabic hip hop. Some Arab youth also listen to Hebrew, and more often, English popular music. The singer [[Amal Murkus]] is an Israeli-Arab from [[Kafr Yasif]].

Directors like [[Mohammad Bakri]], [[Elia Suleiman]], [[Hany Abu-Assad]], and [[Michel Khleife]] have put the topic of Arab Israelis on the cinematic map. All three were born in [[Nazareth]], but have since emigrated to [[Paris]],<ref>[http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/03/24/DD284011.DTL&hw=Elia+Suleiman&sn=001&sc=1000]</ref> [[Amsterdam]],<ref>[http://cineuropa.org/filmography.aspx?lang=en&documentID=33606]</ref> and [[Brussels]],<ref>[http://www.mecfilm.de/en/1e7fe7ac2cf840ed21aa6f74d0cf5279/content/german_theatrical/route_181/-_michel_khleifi.html]</ref> respectively.

The [[Palestinian art]] scene has also been enriched by the contributions of Arab citizens of Israel.<ref name=Zvi>{{cite web|title=''Hagar: Contemporary Palestinian Art''|author=Tal Ben Zvi|publisher=Hagar Association|year=2006|accessdate=06.05.2007|url=http://www.hagar-gallery.com/Catalogues/docs/PArt_eng_final.pdf}}</ref>

As regards media, Arab citizens of Israel tend to watch both the Arab satellite news stations and Israeli cable stations and read both Arabic and Hebrew newspapers, comparing the information against one another.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Culture of Media Consumption among National Minorities: The Case of Arab Society in Israel|author=Amal Jamal|publisher=I’lam Media Center for Arab Palestinians in Israel|date=December 2006}}</ref>

The cuisine of the Arab populations in Israel vary from north to south. The Arabs of the [[Galilee]] have an almost identical cuisine of that in Lebanon and Syria which include foods such as hummus, [[tabouleh]], [[baba ghanoush]], [[falafel]] and [[dolma|waraq al-enib]]. The foods of the [[Wadi Ara]] region do not differ from those of the West Bank such as [[musakhan]] and [[maqluba]]. (''See'', [[Cuisine of Palestine]])

Linguistically-speaking, the majority are fluently bilingual, speaking both a [[Palestinian Arabic]] dialect and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], and some are trilingual. In Arab homes and towns, the primary language spoken is Arabic. Some Hebrew words have entered the colloquial Arabic dialect. For example, Arabs often use the word ''bi seder'' (equivalent of "Okay") while speaking Arabic. Other Hebrew words that are regularly interspersed are ''ramzor'' (intersection), ''misgan'' (air conditioner) and ''makhshev'' (computer).

There are different local colloquial dialects among Arabs in different regions and localities. For example, the [[Little Triangle]] residents of [[Umm al-Fahm]] are known for pronouncing the [[kaf]] sound, with a "ch"-as-in-cheese sound rather than "k"-as-in-kite sound. Some Arabic words or phrases are used only in their respective localities, such as the Nazareth word for "now" which is ''issa'', and ''silema'' a local modification of the English word "cinema".<ref>Kimary N. Shahin, ''Palestinian Rural Arabic (Abu Shusha dialect)''. 2nd ed. University of British Columbia. LINCOM Europa, 2000 (ISBN 3-89586-960-0)</ref><ref>Frank A. Rice, ''Eastern Arabic-English, English-Eastern Arabic: dictionary and phrasebook for the spoken Arabic of Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine/Israel and Syria''. New York: Hippocrene Books 1998 (ISBN 0-7818-0685-2)</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== Books cited ==

*Rosenthal, Donna. ''The Israelis''. Free Press, 2003. ISBN 0-7432-7035-5
*Féron, Valerie, ''Palestine(s): Les déchirures'', Paris, Editions du Felin, 2001. ISBN 2-86645-391-3
*Kodmani-Darwish, Bassma, ''La Diaspora Palestinienne'', Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1997. ISBN 2-13-048486-7
*Mazie, Steven. ''Israel's Higher Law: Religion and Liberal Democracy in the Jewish State.'' Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. ISBN 0-7391-1485-9
*Schenk, Bernadette "Druze Identity in the Middle East", in Salibi, Kamal, ed, The Druze: Realities and Perceptions, London, Druze Heritage Foundation, 2005
*Orgad, Liav(PhD), IDC, Hertzlia, "Internationalizing the issue of Israeli Arabs" , Maariv, [[March 19]] [[2006]] page 7.

== Bibliography ==

*"Israel's Arab Citizens: The Continuing Struggle" by Mark Tessler; Audra K. Grant. ''Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science'', Vol. 555, Israel in Transition. (Jan., 1998), pp. 97-113. JSTR: [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28199801%29555%3C97%3AIACTCS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7]

*''The Israeli Palestinians: an Arab minority in the Jewish state'' / Alexander Bligh 2003. (book) [http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/fy038/2002154407.html]

*''Tall shadows: interviews with Israeli Arabs'' / Smadar Bakovic 2006 English Book Book 313 p. Lanham, MD : Hamilton Books, ; ISBN: 0761832890

*''Israel's Arab Citizens'' / Laurence Louër; John King 2006 London : C. Hurst & Co. Ltd. ISBN: 185065798X

*''The Israeli regime and the political distress of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel.'' / As'ad Ghanem 2001 Book 29 p. Haifa, Israel : Haifa University,

*''Arab citizens in Israel: the ongoing conflict with the state'' / Massoud Ahmad Eghbarieh. Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Maryland at College Park, 1991.

*''Identity crisis: Israel and its Arab citizens.'' International Crisis Group. 2004 [http://bibpurl.oclc.org.proxy.uchicago.edu/web/7164]

==External links==
*[http://www.middle-east-info.org/gateway/arabsinisrael/index.htm Arabs and Muslims in Israel]
*[http://www.jcpa.org/jl/hit05.htm THE ARABS IN ISRAEL: A SURGING NEW IDENTITY]
*[http://www.arabhra.org HRA, Arab Association for Human Rights]
*[http://www.mossawacenter.org Mossawa, The Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens of Israel]
*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/arabs2.html Arab Israelis] (Jewish Virtual Library)
*[http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/israel2/ SECOND CLASS; Discrimination Against Palestinian Arab Children in Israel's Schools] (The full text of the [[Human Rights Watch]] 2001 report)
*[http://www.adalah.org/eng/index.php Adalah], the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
*[http://www.assoc40.org The Association of Forty] - the association for the recognition of the Arab Unrecognized Villages in Israel
*[http://countrystudies.us/israel/23.htm Israeli Arabs] (Israel Country Study, US Dept. of the Army)
*[http://www.islamonline.net/english/views/2002/07/article06.shtml Inside 1948 Palestine] ([[Islamonline.net]])
*[http://www.gal-soc.org The Galilee Society: The Arab National Society for Health Research and Services]
*[http://www.ittijah.org Ittijah, Union of Arab-based Community Organisations]
* [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41723.htm ''Israel and the occupied territories''] ([[U.S. State Department]] [[2004]] [[Country Reports on Human Rights Practices]])
*[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=432222& "The demographics point to a binational state" - a Haaretz article suggesting "swapping heavily populated areas" as a solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict]
* [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtml?itemNo=431610 `What are Israeli Arabs? Are they Jewish? their lives are much better in Israel than they could be in Jordan' - Israeli Arab in the eyes of Arabs in Saudi Arabia and Jordan]
* [http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/pa_t_e/isr_arb.htm Involvement of Israeli Arabs in terrorism]
* [http://www.fips.org.il "Injustice and Folly - On the Proposals to Cede Arab Localities from Israel to Palestine"]
*[http://www.ilamcenter.org/ I‘ LAM - Media Center for Arab Palestinians in Israel]
*[http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/14/1358258 No Shelters, Sirens for Israel's Arab citizens]
*[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/772444.html The undocumented / Fifth in a series - Bedouin trackers: Israeli enough for the IDF, but not for an ID card]
*[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3335903,00.html Israel's Arabs shoot themselves in foot]
*[http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467631874&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull CBS: One in six Israelis is Muslim]
*[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/825948.html Ha'aretz: Israeli Arab couple petitions High Court after residency denied]
*[http://surj.stanford.edu/2005/pdfs/Adi.pdf Druze and Jews] by Adi Greif, [[Stanford University]]

[[Category:Arab Israelis| ]]
[[Category:Palestinian people]]

[[ar:عرب الـ48]]
[[de:Israelische Araber]]
[[es:Árabe israelí]]
[[fr:Arabes israéliens]]
[[it:Arabo-israeliano]]
[[he:ערביי ישראל]]
[[nl:Arabische Israëliërs]]
[[no:Israelske arabere]]

Turnitin

2007-03-21T23:33:20Z

Slackermonkey: /* See also */

{{Infobox Software
| name = Turnitin
| logo = [[Image:Turnitin logo.png|center|155px]]
| screenshot = [[Image:Turnitin sample report.png|center|155px]]
| caption = A sample Turnitin report page, with explanations
| author =
| developer = iParadigms, LLC
| latest release version =
| latest release date =
| latest preview version =
| latest preview date =
| operating system =
| platform = Internet
| genre = educational
| license =
| website = http://www.turnitin.com or http://www.submit.ac.uk (UK)
}}
'''Turnitin''' (also known as '''Turnitin.com''') is an [[Internet]]-based [[plagiarism]]-detection service created by iParadigms, LLC. Institutions (typically [[university|universities]] and [[high school]]s) that have bought licenses submit [[essay]]s to the Turnitin website to check for plagiarism.

Students may be required by schools to submit essays to Turnitin, as a [[Deterrence_(psychological)|deterrent]] to plagiarism. This has been a source of criticism, with some students refusing to do so in the belief that requiring it constitutes a [[presumption of innocence|presumption of guilt]]. Additionally, critics have alleged that use of the software violates educational [[privacy]] and [[intellectual property]] laws.

Parent company iParadigms, LLC, also offers a similar plagiarism detection service for newspaper editors and book publishers called [[Ithenticate|iThenticate]], and run the informational website Plagiarism.org.
Other services marketed under the Turnitin [[brand]] are aimed at the educators' market, such as grade marking and [[peer review]] services.

==Function==

Turnitin checks for possible plagiarism by comparing submitted papers to several databases using a proprietary [[algorithm]]. It scans its own database(s), and also has licensing agreements with large academic proprietary databases.

===Databases===

*A current and extensively archived copy of the publicly accessible internet. The company uses a [[webcrawler]] to continually archive the web, except for [[robots.txt]] exclusions.
*Millions of commercial pages from books, newspapers, and journals;
*Tens of millions of student papers already submitted to Turnitin.

====Student paper database====

The essays students submit are stored as part of the [[database]] used to check for plagiarism. This prevents the use of one student's paper by another student by identifying matching text between papers. Supporters state that maintaining a student's paper in the database protects the student's [[intellectual property]] (or that of the [[university]], in some cases) from future plagiarism.

===Classroom integration===

Teachers may submit student papers to Turnitin.com as individual files, a bulk upload, or a ZIP file. Teachers can also set up the assignment analysis options so that each student can review their originality reports before their final submission. A peer-review option is also available, should instructors wish to use that service in their courses.

Some [[virtual learning environment]]s can be configured to support Turnitin, so that student assignments can be automatically submitted for originality analysis. [[Moodle]], [[WebCT]] and [[Blackboard Inc.|Blackboard]] all support Turnitin integration with course sections and assignments.

Turnitin acts as a tool for identifying matching text but is often not considered the final word on whether plagiarism has occurred. It is left up to teachers or professors using the service to decide if matching text identified by Turnitin is an unreferenced source, or mere coincidence, as opposed to outright plagiarism.

==Criticism==

Turnitin has not been without critics. While all agree that combatting plagiarism is important, they claim the software violates student [[privacy]] and intellectual-property rights, especially in situations where papers were submitted without student knowledge or permission.
In addition, schools have been criticised by their students for requiring submission to Turnitin.
===Privacy===

The U.S. federal [[Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act]] (FERPA) prohibits disclosing confidential information about students to third parties without their or their families' permission. Critics of Turnitin argue that sending papers to Turnitin without student permission thus violates their rights.

Turnitin claims its archiving of student papers complies with FERPA, since the statute only applies at two points: when it is transmitted to them, and when it is released from the data base when a match is found with another submission. In the former case it is not considered part of the educational record since it has not yet been graded, and in the latter it does not divulge personal identifying information.<ref name="Turnitin US legal document">Foley & Lardner; July 2002; [http://turnitin.com/static/pdf/us_Legal_Document.pdf Turnitin U.S. Legal Document], retrieved September 29, 2006, 2, 5.</ref> However, the Family Compliance Policy Office, the department of the Department of Education responsible for enforcing FERPA, has stated that institutions may submit student papers to Turnitin only if they remove all personally identifiable information from the papers<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.naspa.org/policy/FERPA2006.pdf
| title = Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
| accessdate = 2007-01-28
| author = Family Policy Compliance Office
| year = 2006
}}</ref>.

The Student Union at [[Dalhousie University]] has criticized the use of Turnitin at Canadian universities because the American government may be able to access the submitted papers and personal information in the database under the [[U.S. Patriot Act]]. [http://www.dalgazette.ca/html/module/displaystory/story_id/1050/edition_id/18/format/html/displaystory.html]
[[Mount Saint Vincent University]] became the first Canadian university to ban Turnitin's service partly because of implications of the U.S. Patriot Act. [http://www.excal.on.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2532&Itemid=2]

===Possible violation of student copyright===

Since Turnitin archives all papers it receives and sells its services, including that database, for profit, it has also been charged with violating student [[copyright]] since students are not compensated for the use of their work. Turnitin founder John Barrie claims the company is merely making [[fair use]] of student work since, despite iParadigms profiting from the sale of the software, it is ultimately for educational purposes. The company also says the archiving does not detract from students' future ability to profit from their work, and in fact should even help them by guaranteeing its originality.

Lawyers for the company also claim that student work is covered under the theory of implied license to evaluate, since it would be pointless to write the essays if they were not meant to be graded. That implied license thus grants permission to copy, reproduce and preserve, it says. [[Dissertation]]s and [[thesis|theses]], the company's lawyers note, also carry with them the implied permission to archive in a publicly accessible collection such as a university [[library]].<ref name="Turnitin US legal document copyright">Foley & Lardner, ''Id.'', 3-5.</ref>

[[University of Minnesota Law School]] [[professor]] Dan Burk counters that the company's use of the papers does not meet the fair-use test for several reasons:

*The company copies the entire paper and not just a portion;
*Students' work is often original, interpretive and creative rather than just a compilation of established facts, and
*Turnitin is a commercial enterprise.<ref>Foster, Andrea L.; May 17, 2002; [http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i36/36a03701.htm Plagiarism-Detection Tool Creates Legal Quandary]; ''[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]''; retrieved September 29, 2006</ref>

===Presumption of guilt===

Some students also argue that requiring them to submit papers to Turnitin creates a [[presumption of innocence|presumption of guilt]], which may violate not only scholastic disciplinary codes but also applicable local laws and judicial practice. Some teachers and professors also support this argument when attempting to discourage their schools from joining Turnitin<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://bedfordstmartins.com/technotes/techtiparchive/ttip060501.htm
| title = Turnitin.com, a Pedagogic Placebo for Plagiarism
| accessdate = 2007-01-28
| last = Carbone
| first = Nick
| date = 2001
}}</ref>.

==Controversies==
In one well-publicized dispute over mandatory Turnitin submissions, a student named Jesse Rosenfeld at [[McGill University]] declined to pass his academic work along to Turnitin. The University Senate eventually ruled that Rosenfeld's assignments were to be graded without the use of Turnitin. [http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/01/16/mcgill_turnitin030116] In 2005 another student at [[McGill University]] named Denise Brunsdon who refused to submit her assignment to Turnitin.com won a similar ruling from the Senate Committee on Student Grievances. [http://www.mcgilldaily.com/view.php?aid=4615]

In September 2006 students at [[McLean High School]] in the [[Washington, D.C.]] [[suburb]] of [[McLean, Virginia|McLean]], [[Virginia]], organized a Committee For Students' Rights to protest the school's recent adoption of Turnitin. In addition to the presumption-of-guilt argument, the McLean students also claimed it was a violation of their [[intellectual property]] rights for Turnitin to archive their papers for future commercial use without compensating them.<ref name="McLean">Glod, Maria; September 22, 2006; [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/21/AR2006092101800.html Students Rebel Against Database Designed to Thwart Plagiarists]; ''[[Washington Post]]''; retrieved September 28, 2006.</ref> <ref name="McLean">Glod, maria; October 4, 2006; [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/03/AR2006100301466.html Score One for McLean High Students]; ''[[Washington Post]]''; retrieved October 19th, 2006.</ref>

==References==

<references/>

==See also==
*[[Plagiarism]]
*[[Paper mill (essays)]]
*[[Ithenticate]]

==External links==
*[http://www.turnitin.com/ Turnitin]
*[http://www.submit.ac.uk/ Turnitin UK]
*[http://www.plagiarism.org Plagiarism.org]
*[http://www.essayfraud.org/turnitin_john_barrie.html EssayFraud.org - Guilty Until Proven Innocent]
*[http://www.turnitin.com/static/usage.html Turnitin's End User License Agreement]
*[http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/1588/taking-a-hard-line-on-turnitin The Chronicle Online - Taking a Hard Line on Turnitin]
*[http://ccccip.org/for-review-plagiarism-detection-services For Review--Plagiarism Detection Services Statement | CCCC-IP]
*[http://www.dontturnitin.com/ DontTurnitin.com - Turnitin Controversy]

[[Category:Educational software]]
[[Category:Plagiarism detectors]]

Turnitin

2007-03-21T23:31:58Z

Slackermonkey: /* See also */

{{Infobox Software
| name = Turnitin
| logo = [[Image:Turnitin logo.png|center|155px]]
| screenshot = [[Image:Turnitin sample report.png|center|155px]]
| caption = A sample Turnitin report page, with explanations
| author =
| developer = iParadigms, LLC
| latest release version =
| latest release date =
| latest preview version =
| latest preview date =
| operating system =
| platform = Internet
| genre = educational
| license =
| website = http://www.turnitin.com or http://www.submit.ac.uk (UK)
}}
'''Turnitin''' (also known as '''Turnitin.com''') is an [[Internet]]-based [[plagiarism]]-detection service created by iParadigms, LLC. Institutions (typically [[university|universities]] and [[high school]]s) that have bought licenses submit [[essay]]s to the Turnitin website to check for plagiarism.

Students may be required by schools to submit essays to Turnitin, as a [[Deterrence_(psychological)|deterrent]] to plagiarism. This has been a source of criticism, with some students refusing to do so in the belief that requiring it constitutes a [[presumption of innocence|presumption of guilt]]. Additionally, critics have alleged that use of the software violates educational [[privacy]] and [[intellectual property]] laws.

Parent company iParadigms, LLC, also offers a similar plagiarism detection service for newspaper editors and book publishers called [[Ithenticate|iThenticate]], and run the informational website Plagiarism.org.
Other services marketed under the Turnitin [[brand]] are aimed at the educators' market, such as grade marking and [[peer review]] services.

==Function==

Turnitin checks for possible plagiarism by comparing submitted papers to several databases using a proprietary [[algorithm]]. It scans its own database(s), and also has licensing agreements with large academic proprietary databases.

===Databases===

*A current and extensively archived copy of the publicly accessible internet. The company uses a [[webcrawler]] to continually archive the web, except for [[robots.txt]] exclusions.
*Millions of commercial pages from books, newspapers, and journals;
*Tens of millions of student papers already submitted to Turnitin.

====Student paper database====

The essays students submit are stored as part of the [[database]] used to check for plagiarism. This prevents the use of one student's paper by another student by identifying matching text between papers. Supporters state that maintaining a student's paper in the database protects the student's [[intellectual property]] (or that of the [[university]], in some cases) from future plagiarism.

===Classroom integration===

Teachers may submit student papers to Turnitin.com as individual files, a bulk upload, or a ZIP file. Teachers can also set up the assignment analysis options so that each student can review their originality reports before their final submission. A peer-review option is also available, should instructors wish to use that service in their courses.

Some [[virtual learning environment]]s can be configured to support Turnitin, so that student assignments can be automatically submitted for originality analysis. [[Moodle]], [[WebCT]] and [[Blackboard Inc.|Blackboard]] all support Turnitin integration with course sections and assignments.

Turnitin acts as a tool for identifying matching text but is often not considered the final word on whether plagiarism has occurred. It is left up to teachers or professors using the service to decide if matching text identified by Turnitin is an unreferenced source, or mere coincidence, as opposed to outright plagiarism.

==Criticism==

Turnitin has not been without critics. While all agree that combatting plagiarism is important, they claim the software violates student [[privacy]] and intellectual-property rights, especially in situations where papers were submitted without student knowledge or permission.
In addition, schools have been criticised by their students for requiring submission to Turnitin.
===Privacy===

The U.S. federal [[Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act]] (FERPA) prohibits disclosing confidential information about students to third parties without their or their families' permission. Critics of Turnitin argue that sending papers to Turnitin without student permission thus violates their rights.

Turnitin claims its archiving of student papers complies with FERPA, since the statute only applies at two points: when it is transmitted to them, and when it is released from the data base when a match is found with another submission. In the former case it is not considered part of the educational record since it has not yet been graded, and in the latter it does not divulge personal identifying information.<ref name="Turnitin US legal document">Foley & Lardner; July 2002; [http://turnitin.com/static/pdf/us_Legal_Document.pdf Turnitin U.S. Legal Document], retrieved September 29, 2006, 2, 5.</ref> However, the Family Compliance Policy Office, the department of the Department of Education responsible for enforcing FERPA, has stated that institutions may submit student papers to Turnitin only if they remove all personally identifiable information from the papers<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.naspa.org/policy/FERPA2006.pdf
| title = Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
| accessdate = 2007-01-28
| author = Family Policy Compliance Office
| year = 2006
}}</ref>.

The Student Union at [[Dalhousie University]] has criticized the use of Turnitin at Canadian universities because the American government may be able to access the submitted papers and personal information in the database under the [[U.S. Patriot Act]]. [http://www.dalgazette.ca/html/module/displaystory/story_id/1050/edition_id/18/format/html/displaystory.html]
[[Mount Saint Vincent University]] became the first Canadian university to ban Turnitin's service partly because of implications of the U.S. Patriot Act. [http://www.excal.on.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2532&Itemid=2]

===Possible violation of student copyright===

Since Turnitin archives all papers it receives and sells its services, including that database, for profit, it has also been charged with violating student [[copyright]] since students are not compensated for the use of their work. Turnitin founder John Barrie claims the company is merely making [[fair use]] of student work since, despite iParadigms profiting from the sale of the software, it is ultimately for educational purposes. The company also says the archiving does not detract from students' future ability to profit from their work, and in fact should even help them by guaranteeing its originality.

Lawyers for the company also claim that student work is covered under the theory of implied license to evaluate, since it would be pointless to write the essays if they were not meant to be graded. That implied license thus grants permission to copy, reproduce and preserve, it says. [[Dissertation]]s and [[thesis|theses]], the company's lawyers note, also carry with them the implied permission to archive in a publicly accessible collection such as a university [[library]].<ref name="Turnitin US legal document copyright">Foley & Lardner, ''Id.'', 3-5.</ref>

[[University of Minnesota Law School]] [[professor]] Dan Burk counters that the company's use of the papers does not meet the fair-use test for several reasons:

*The company copies the entire paper and not just a portion;
*Students' work is often original, interpretive and creative rather than just a compilation of established facts, and
*Turnitin is a commercial enterprise.<ref>Foster, Andrea L.; May 17, 2002; [http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i36/36a03701.htm Plagiarism-Detection Tool Creates Legal Quandary]; ''[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]''; retrieved September 29, 2006</ref>

===Presumption of guilt===

Some students also argue that requiring them to submit papers to Turnitin creates a [[presumption of innocence|presumption of guilt]], which may violate not only scholastic disciplinary codes but also applicable local laws and judicial practice. Some teachers and professors also support this argument when attempting to discourage their schools from joining Turnitin<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://bedfordstmartins.com/technotes/techtiparchive/ttip060501.htm
| title = Turnitin.com, a Pedagogic Placebo for Plagiarism
| accessdate = 2007-01-28
| last = Carbone
| first = Nick
| date = 2001
}}</ref>.

==Controversies==
In one well-publicized dispute over mandatory Turnitin submissions, a student named Jesse Rosenfeld at [[McGill University]] declined to pass his academic work along to Turnitin. The University Senate eventually ruled that Rosenfeld's assignments were to be graded without the use of Turnitin. [http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/01/16/mcgill_turnitin030116] In 2005 another student at [[McGill University]] named Denise Brunsdon who refused to submit her assignment to Turnitin.com won a similar ruling from the Senate Committee on Student Grievances. [http://www.mcgilldaily.com/view.php?aid=4615]

In September 2006 students at [[McLean High School]] in the [[Washington, D.C.]] [[suburb]] of [[McLean, Virginia|McLean]], [[Virginia]], organized a Committee For Students' Rights to protest the school's recent adoption of Turnitin. In addition to the presumption-of-guilt argument, the McLean students also claimed it was a violation of their [[intellectual property]] rights for Turnitin to archive their papers for future commercial use without compensating them.<ref name="McLean">Glod, Maria; September 22, 2006; [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/21/AR2006092101800.html Students Rebel Against Database Designed to Thwart Plagiarists]; ''[[Washington Post]]''; retrieved September 28, 2006.</ref> <ref name="McLean">Glod, maria; October 4, 2006; [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/03/AR2006100301466.html Score One for McLean High Students]; ''[[Washington Post]]''; retrieved October 19th, 2006.</ref>

==References==

<references/>

==See also==
*[[Plagiarism]]
*[[Paper mill (essays)]]
*[[Ithenticate]] - A similar commerical service

==External links==
*[http://www.turnitin.com/ Turnitin]
*[http://www.submit.ac.uk/ Turnitin UK]
*[http://www.plagiarism.org Plagiarism.org]
*[http://www.essayfraud.org/turnitin_john_barrie.html EssayFraud.org - Guilty Until Proven Innocent]
*[http://www.turnitin.com/static/usage.html Turnitin's End User License Agreement]
*[http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/1588/taking-a-hard-line-on-turnitin The Chronicle Online - Taking a Hard Line on Turnitin]
*[http://ccccip.org/for-review-plagiarism-detection-services For Review--Plagiarism Detection Services Statement | CCCC-IP]
*[http://www.dontturnitin.com/ DontTurnitin.com - Turnitin Controversy]

[[Category:Educational software]]
[[Category:Plagiarism detectors]]

Raymond Lakah

2006-02-04T17:34:13Z

Slackermonkey:

{{current}}
'''Rami (Raymond) Lakah رامي لكح''' is [[French]]-[[Egyptian]], [[Roman Catholic]] [[Christian]] magnate, and owner of the French [[newspaper]] [[France Soir]].

[[image:RaymondLakah.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[help:contents|Raymond Lakah]]]]

Lakah was born to a wealthy Christian Catholic Egyptian family, Lakah first came to prominence with his brother [[Michel Lakah]] in mid 1990s. They had holdings in construction, healthcare management, and aviation. In November 1998, their holdings were floated on the Cairo Stock Exchange with Rami owning 38% and Michel 31%.

In [[November]] [[2000]] Lakah was elected to the [[Parliament of Egypt|Egyptian Parliament]]
at the relatively young age of 40. His election made headlines in [[Eygpt]] due to being a dual [[national]] of both [[Egypt]] and [[France]] as well as raising the question of the legality dual [[national]]s holding government offices. In January 2001, the Minister of Interior officially declared that his election in [[2000]] was invalid. As well, talk about his financial debts, which had started before his election, intensified.

Lakah got in trouble when his debts amounting to 1.2 to 1.4 billion Egyptian Pounds with many government banks in Egypt were unpaid, and law suits were filed against him. He fled Egypt, settling in France. In August 2001, a court verdict in Egypt ruled that he cannot be a member of the Egyptian Parliament due to his dual nationality. In [[October]] [[2004]], the Egyptian parliament instated a new rule that dual nationals are not allowed in the parliament.

Lakah was once interviewed on [[AlJazeera]] satellite TV channel, bringing with him what he said is evidence that charges against him were politically motivated. The interview was cut short and Lakah stormed out of the studio.

Lakah maintains that all his debts were paid off.

In France, he took the name Raymond, instead of his [[Arabic]] birth name Rami, and started establishing himself in several business ventures, including [[Star Airlines]] aviation and in [[October]] [[2004]] he bought the France Soir newspaper.

On [[February 2]], [[2006]], France Soir published the [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|Muhammad cartoons]] that caused a lot of havoc and anger among Muslims around the world.
The cartoons were originally published by the Danish newspaper [[Jyllands-Posten]] on [[September 30]], [[2005]].
France Soir republished the cartoons under the headline, ''"Yes, One has the Right to Caricature God."''

The same day Raymond Lakah fired the editorial director, [[Jacques Lefranc]].
[[Le Monde]] reported that Lakah issued a statement saying he fired Lefranc as president and director of the newspaper in ''"a strong sign of respect to the intimate convictions and beliefs of each individual."''
The statement continued, ''"We present our regrets to the Muslim community and to all people who have been shocked or made indignant by this publication."''

External links
* [http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2824 Rami Lakah: The next Conrad Black?]
* [http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/496/eg2.htm Al Ahram article on Lakah as a businessman].
* [http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/507/eg66.htm Al Ahram article on Lakah during 2000 elections].
* [http://www.thisissyria.net/2002/03/26/arab&world.html March 2002 article on Al Jazeera interview with Lakah (in Arabic)].
* [http://www.islamonline.net/iol-arabic/dowalia/alhadath2000-oug-18/alhadath2.asp 18 August 2000 article in Islam Online on rumors of Lakah fleeing Egypt (In Arabic)].

Raymond Lakah

2006-02-04T17:33:39Z

Slackermonkey:

{{current}}
'''Rami (Raymond) Lakah رامي لكح''' is [[French]]-[[Egyptian]], [[Roman Catholic]] [[Christian]] magnate, and owner of the French [[newspaper]] [[France Soir]].

[[image:RaymondLakah.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[help:contents|Raymond Lakah]]]]

Lakah was born to a wealthy Christian Catholic Egyptian family, Lakah first came to prominence with his brother [[Michel Lakah]] in mid 1990s. They had holdings in construction, healthcare management, and aviation. In November 1998, their holdings were floated on the Cairo Stock Exchange with Rami owning 38% and Michel 31%.

In [[November]] [[2000]] Lakah was elected to the [[Parliament of Egypt|Egyptian Parliament]]
at the relatively young age of 40. His election made headlines in [[Eygpt]] due to his dual [[national]] of both [[Egypt]] and [[France]] as well as raising the question of the legality dual [[national]]s holding government offices. In January 2001, the Minister of Interior officially declared that his election in [[2000]] was invalid. As well, talk about his financial debts, which had started before his election, intensified.

Lakah got in trouble when his debts amounting to 1.2 to 1.4 billion Egyptian Pounds with many government banks in Egypt were unpaid, and law suits were filed against him. He fled Egypt, settling in France. In August 2001, a court verdict in Egypt ruled that he cannot be a member of the Egyptian Parliament due to his dual nationality. In [[October]] [[2004]], the Egyptian parliament instated a new rule that dual nationals are not allowed in the parliament.

Lakah was once interviewed on [[AlJazeera]] satellite TV channel, bringing with him what he said is evidence that charges against him were politically motivated. The interview was cut short and Lakah stormed out of the studio.

Lakah maintains that all his debts were paid off.

In France, he took the name Raymond, instead of his [[Arabic]] birth name Rami, and started establishing himself in several business ventures, including [[Star Airlines]] aviation and in [[October]] [[2004]] he bought the France Soir newspaper.

On [[February 2]], [[2006]], France Soir published the [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|Muhammad cartoons]] that caused a lot of havoc and anger among Muslims around the world.
The cartoons were originally published by the Danish newspaper [[Jyllands-Posten]] on [[September 30]], [[2005]].
France Soir republished the cartoons under the headline, ''"Yes, One has the Right to Caricature God."''

The same day Raymond Lakah fired the editorial director, [[Jacques Lefranc]].
[[Le Monde]] reported that Lakah issued a statement saying he fired Lefranc as president and director of the newspaper in ''"a strong sign of respect to the intimate convictions and beliefs of each individual."''
The statement continued, ''"We present our regrets to the Muslim community and to all people who have been shocked or made indignant by this publication."''

External links
* [http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2824 Rami Lakah: The next Conrad Black?]
* [http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/496/eg2.htm Al Ahram article on Lakah as a businessman].
* [http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/507/eg66.htm Al Ahram article on Lakah during 2000 elections].
* [http://www.thisissyria.net/2002/03/26/arab&world.html March 2002 article on Al Jazeera interview with Lakah (in Arabic)].
* [http://www.islamonline.net/iol-arabic/dowalia/alhadath2000-oug-18/alhadath2.asp 18 August 2000 article in Islam Online on rumors of Lakah fleeing Egypt (In Arabic)].