Document Type

Article

Publication Title

University of Pennsylvania Journal of Law & Public Affairs

Abstract

Israel has claimed since its founding that it is both a Jewish State, a special refuge for the Jewish people with an obligation to preserve Jewish culture, and a state for all of its citizens. Israel has maintained, largely successfully, a vibrant democratic and civil society in the face of ongoing threats to its national security and public order. On the level of formal equality, on such matters as voting rights, access to the courts and the provision of educational opportunities, Israel has lived up to its commitments to its Arab citizens. But there are a number of significant areas where Israel has not lived up its commitments. Israel needs to take seriously its greatest domestic challenge: How best to address the needs and aspirations of the nearly 20% of Israeli society who are Arab citizens. These citizens are not a fifth column, but they are a population with conflicting orientations between Israel (where polls consistently indicate they prefer to live) and their Palestinian brethren in Gaza and the West Bank. They are a minority population on the edge, unhappy with their status—not fully within Israeli society, nor lost to the radical, nihilistic forces from without. The critical task for Israel is successful “integration” of this important minority, not in the sense of suppressing its distinct culture or its emotional connection to the fate of Palestinians elsewhere but rather in normalizing its economic and social position within Israel. Four strategies for integration/normalization are considered (1) instituting vigorous enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in employment, housing and business, coupled with a visible affirmative action program to place university graduates in the high-tech and other growing sectors of the economy; (2) requiring all Israeli citizens to complete 2 years of national service, which need not be military service; (3) changing the electoral system so that the system promotes legislator accountability to local constituencies rather than political parties; and (4) advancing public symbols of inclusion.

First Page

1

Volume

3

Publication Date

2018

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