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Arab Israelis Are Pulling Away, Not Integrating in Israeli Society

(Israel Hayom) Nadav Shragai - Prof. Raphael Israeli, 84, one of the preeminent researchers on the Arabs of Israel, sees a "clear trend of disconnect, not any desire to integrate into Israeli society" among Arabs: "Not increasing closeness at all, but rather Arab Israelis pulling away from Israeli-ness." "They say that Arab Israelis, who are 20% of the population, want to integrate, but they vote for a confederation of parties that define Israel as a state that commits theft and robbery....[Their] representatives justify the right of return for Arabs even now, reject the idea of Arab Israeli identity, and cling to the idea of the Palestinian people and the Arab nation. For them, Zionism is colonialism....There is no process of moderation, only radicalization." "They are willing to vote in the Knesset so the state will approve budgets for more policing in their communities in the face of the raging crime there, and that's fine. That's acceptable. But they...don't exactly see Israel as their country. I'm saying this with regret and disappointment....At any rate, this 'distinction' between the citizens and their politicians doesn't really exist." Q: A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute showed that 83% of Israeli Arabs want to integrate into Israeli society. Israeli: "What does integrate mean? It's important to them to live in the State of Israel, but the State of Israel is not important to them. That's a huge difference....Given the national conflict, I don't expect them to be Zionists, but I expect them not to be anti-Zionist - to not behave and speak in a way that undermines the foundations of the Jewish state and to not identify with terrorism."
2020-03-25 00:00:00
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