Israel and Jewish Majority - Arab Palestinian Minority / Blog Assignment

 Nour Al Rajabi

HSC4M

5/27/2025

                                      Israel and Jewish Majority - Arab Palestinian Minority 

The topic between the Jewish-Israeli majority and the Arab Palestinian minority is a very sensitive and intricate topic. Even though Arab Palestinians make up about 20% of the country's population, they still face challenges such as equality, representation, and cultural acceptance. The relationship between the two groups is formed by centuries and decades of political conflict, intergenerational trauma, and the differences between their identity. The relationship between these two groups is often recognized and known as strained, violent, and unequal. This blog will explore how these two groups interact, their nature, the impact of the Arab Palestinian culture, and recommendations to improve the relationship between the two groups. 

Israel was founded as a homeland for the Jewish people in 1950, but most of its population is Arab. Today, the Arab citizens living in Israel (apart from the ones living in Gaza and the West Bank) are the country's largest minority group. The Arab Palestinians have the same rights as the Israeli Jews, but they still face discrimination and disadvantages. Arab citizens' legal rights are not equal of the Jewish Israelis, and they tend to live in poorer cities, have less formal education, and face other challenges that are attributed to discrimination. The two communities are divided by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as their cultural and traditional differences. The Arab citizens of Israel are the descendants of the Arabs who stayed within the borders Israel declared in the 1948 Israeli-Palestinian war, which was then home to about 1.2 million Arabs. After more than 700,000 of them were expelled or departed in what Arabs call the nakba, about 150,000 remained within the portion of mandatory Palestine that would become the state of Israel, and they automatically became citizens, forming about half of Israel’s population (Robinson, 2023).

Israeli Jews and Arab Palestinians interact in their everyday lives, such as in places like universities, work, hospitals, and markets. Arab Palestinians living in Israel are involved in many sectors, such as doctors, teachers, business owners, students, etc. However, even though they live in the same country, the interaction between those two groups is very limited. The Arabs and Jews live separately, speak different languages, and follow different cultural and religious traditions. Usually, the Arab Palestinians face discrimination and hate when interacting with the public, trying to find jobs, or trying to rent homes. These social barriers are because of decades of conflict, war, and tension, making it uneasy to have a normal interaction. 

As Robinson stated, “Israel’s declaration of independence recognizes the equality of all the country’s residents, Arabs included, but equality is not explicitly enshrined in Israel’s Basic Laws, the closest thing it has to a constitution. Some rights groups argue that dozens of laws indirectly or directly discriminate against Arabs. Israel’s establishment as an explicitly Jewish state is a primary point of contention, with many of the state’s critics arguing that this, by nature, casts non-Jews as second-class citizens with fewer rights. The 1950 Law of Return, for example, grants all Jews, as well as their children, grandchildren, and spouses, the right to move to Israel and automatically gain citizenship. Non-Jews do not have these rights. Palestinians and their descendants have no legal right to return to the lands their families held before being displaced in 1948 or 1967. (Robinson, 2023).”

The nature of interaction between the Israeli Jews and Arab Palestinians is majority negative and full of ongoing tension. However, in professional environments, such as hospitals and companies, respect between the two groups is common. For example, Israel’s health-care system has employed the Arab and Jewish medical professionals side by side, and cooperation was especially seen when the country confronted the COVID-19 pandemic, as health workers treated patients from each other’s communities. Thus, the relationship between the two groups is full of mistrust and inequality. Even though the Arab Palestinians hold Israeli citizenship, they still face many disadvantages in places such as the government, news, and institutions. Additionally, laws and regulations most definitely prioritize the Jewish identity, and have Arab citizens feel excluded. When there is increased conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories, tensions in Israel also rise. Riots, violence, and hate crimes begin to occur, which divide and reduce trust between the two groups. This shows how the relationship is easily affected by the political situation. 

Improving the relationship between the Arab Palestinians and Jewish Israelis would take a lot of work and commitment from the government and society. Promoting equality in employment, education, and communities is an important step in improving the relationship. Additionally, equal access to good education would help build a stronger future for the Jews and Palestinians. Encouraging shared space that would bring the Arabs and Jews together is another important step. Promoting mutual understanding by creating youth programs or community centers would help. Moreover, recognizing the Arab Palestinian identity and language is important because it would help foster integration. Arab Palestinians must be fairly represented in politics and news. 

                                                              

                                                                             References

Robinson, K. (2023, October 26). What to Know About the Arab Citizens of Israel. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved May 25, 2025, from https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-know-about-arab-citizens-israel

The relationship between the Jewish Israelis and Arab Palestinians is very complex and sensitive in the country. Improving the relationship between the majority and minority groups in Israel would require respect for one another, equality, and honesty.