Jewish-Palestinian relations in Israel: From hegemony to equality?

International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society

Volumn 17, Issue 3, 2004, Pages 415-437

  Peleg, Ilan ^a  

^a LAFAYETTE COLLEGE   (United States)

Author keywords

(liberal) democracy; Consociationalism; Hegemony; Palestinians in Israel

Indexed keywords

EID: 4143087156     PISSN: 08914486     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1023/B:IJPS.0000019611.71167.64     Document Type: Review

References (98)

1. Arabs who live in Israel Proper-that is, Israel in its pre-1967 borders-have been referred to, often interchangeably, as "Israeli Arabs," the "Arab Sector," "Palestinians in Israel," the "Arab Minority," and so on. All of these designations will be used in this essay, trying to maintain the context, the integrity, and the intention of the appropriate usage. Thus, the Israeli bureaucracy has often used the concept of the "Arab Sector" to indicate that the Arab population was fundamentally different than the Jewish population and that it required, therefore, special attention, distinct policy, and a designated class of "experts" to manage it. However, the increasing use of the term "Palestinians in Israel" emphasizes the unity of the Palestinian people on both sides of the so-called "Green Line" (the 1949 Israeli-Jordanian armistice line) or even the unity of all Palestinians as a worldwide phenomenon. Such use of the term "Palestinians in Israel" is similar to the use of the term "Israeli Jews." See also Elie Rekhess, "The Arabs of Israel After Oslo: Localization of the National Struggle," Israel Studies 7(3), Fall 2002, 1-44; and Anton Shammas, "Palestinians in Israel: You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet," in The Journal of the International Institute 3(1), 1995, (http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/journal/ vol3no1/pales.html).
2. Arabs who live in Israel Proper-that is, Israel in its pre-1967 borders-have been referred to, often interchangeably, as "Israeli Arabs," the "Arab Sector," "Palestinians in Israel," the "Arab Minority," and so on. All of these designations will be used in this essay, trying to maintain the context, the integrity, and the intention of the appropriate usage. Thus, the Israeli bureaucracy has often used the concept of the "Arab Sector" to indicate that the Arab population was fundamentally different than the Jewish population and that it required, therefore, special attention, distinct policy, and a designated class of "experts" to manage it. However, the increasing use of the term "Palestinians in Israel" emphasizes the unity of the Palestinian people on both sides of the so-called "Green Line" (the 1949 Israeli-Jordanian armistice line) or even the unity of all Palestinians as a worldwide phenomenon. Such use of the term "Palestinians in Israel" is similar to the use of the term "Israeli Jews." See also Elie Rekhess, "The Arabs of Israel After Oslo: Localization of the National Struggle," Israel Studies 7(3), Fall 2002, 1-44; and Anton Shammas, "Palestinians in Israel: You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet," in The Journal of the International Institute 3(1), 1995, (http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/journal/ vol3no1/pales.html).
3. See Baruch Kimmerling, "Religion, Nationalism and Democracy in Israel," Zmanim 50-51 (1994), 116-31 (Hebrew).
4. Erik Cohen, "Israel as a Post-Zionist Society," in Robert Wistrich and David Ohana, ed., The Shaping of Israeli Identity: Myth, Memory and Trauma, London, 1991, 203-14 (quote is on p. 204); see also Dan Horowitz and Moshe Lissak, Trouble in Utopia: The Overburdened Polity of Israel, SUNY, 1989.
5. Erik Cohen, "Israel as a Post-Zionist Society," in Robert Wistrich and David Ohana, ed., The Shaping of Israeli Identity: Myth, Memory and Trauma, London, 1991, 203-14 (quote is on p. 204); see also Dan Horowitz and Moshe Lissak, Trouble in Utopia: The Overburdened Polity of Israel, SUNY, 1989.
6. Elia T. Zureik, The Palestinians in Israel: A Study in Internal Colonialism, Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979; Ian Lustick, Arabs in the Jewish State: Israel's Control of a National Minority, University of Texas Press, 1980.
7. Elia T. Zureik, The Palestinians in Israel: A Study in Internal Colonialism, Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979; Ian Lustick, Arabs in the Jewish State: Israel's Control of a National Minority, University of Texas Press, 1980.
8. See, for example, Nathan Yanai, "The Citizen as Pioneer: Ben-Gurion's Concept of Citizenship," Israel Studies 1(1), 127-43.
9. David Shalit, "Even Menachem Begin was Opposed," Ha'aretz, 30 August 1996, p. 48 (Hebrew).
10. Ibid., p. 50.
11. Thus, liberalization in the guidelines of the Military Government was noticeable whenever elections approached.
12. Lev Grinberg, The Histadrut Above All, Jerusalem, 1993, p. 176 (Hebrew).
13. On marking the Arabs as others, see Ilan Peleg, "Otherness and Israel's Arab Dilemma," in Laurence J. Silberstein and Robert I. Cohn, eds., The Other in Jewish Thought and History, New York, 1994, 258-80; and Ilan Peleg, "The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the Victory of Otherness," in Russell S. Stone and Walter P. Zenner, eds., Books on Israel III, New York, 1994, 227-43.
14. On marking the Arabs as others, see Ilan Peleg, "Otherness and Israel's Arab Dilemma," in Laurence J. Silberstein and Robert I. Cohn, eds., The Other in Jewish Thought and History, New York, 1994, 258-80; and Ilan Peleg, "The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the Victory of Otherness," in Russell S. Stone and Walter P. Zenner, eds., Books on Israel III, New York, 1994, 227-43.
15. For further development of this idea, see Ilan Peleg, "Israel's Constitutional Order and Kulturkampf: The Role of Ben-Gurion," Israel Studies 3(1), 1998, 230-50.
16. Zureik, ibid., 131-41.
17. Michael Shalev, "Jewish Organized Labor and the Palestinians: A Study of State/Society Relations in Israel," in Baruch Kimmerling, ed., The Israeli State and Society, SUNY Press, 1989, 93-134.
18. Joel S. Migdal, Through the Lens of Israel: Exploration in State and Society, SUNY Press, 2001, p. 176.
19. Ibid., p. 179.
20. Jacob Landau, The Arabs in Israel, Oxford University Press, 1969, Chapter 4. On the role of he High Court of Justice in supporting the majority, see Gad Barzilai in Ilan Peleg, ed., The Middle East Peace Process: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, SUNY Press, 1998, 87-106.
21. Jacob Landau, The Arabs in Israel, Oxford University Press, 1969, Chapter 4. On the role of he High Court of Justice in supporting the majority, see Gad Barzilai in Ilan Peleg, ed., The Middle East Peace Process: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, SUNY Press, 1998, 87-106.
22. Quoted in Migdal, p. 183.
23. Dan Rabinowitz, Asad Ghanen and Oran Yiftachel, eds., After the Rift: New Directions for Government Policy Toward the Arab Population in Israel, November 2000, p. 17.
24. Ibid., and Alexandre Kedar, "A First Step in a Difficult and Sensitive Road': Preliminary Observations on Qaadan vs. Katzir," Israel Studies Bulletin 16(1), Fall 2000, 3-11.
25. Adalah website.
26. Sikkuy Report 2001-02, p. 16.
27. Ibid., p. 21.
28. Ibid., p. 30.
29. Ibid., p. 33.
30. Ibid., pp. 36-37.
31. See Kedar, ibid.
32. Bagatz 6698/95 Qaadan v. ILA, Katzir and Others, Par. 40.
33. See Oren Yiftachel and Alexandre Kedar, "Landed Power: The Making of the Israeli Land Regime," Teoria U'Vikoret 16, 2000, 67-100.
34. Kedar, ibid., p. 4.
35. Sikkuy Report 2000-01, p. 14.
36. Sikkuy Report 2002-03, p. 37.
37. Ibid., 20-21.
38. Sikkuy Report, 2001-02, p. 22.
39. After the Rift, p. 27.
40. I b i d.
41. Adalah website.
42. After the Rift, p. 40.
43. Adalah website.
44. Statistical Abstracts of Israel 2001, Table 8.11.
45. Ibid. The numbers reported by Sikkuy's 2002 report (p. 44) are slightly higher for both groups.
46. Adalah website.
47. Statistical Abstract of Israel 2001, Table 8.8.
48. See Table 10 in the Human Rights Watch website page on Israel (entitled "Discrimination in Budget Allocations"). See also Sikkuy Report 2002-03, 13-18.
49. See Table 10 in the Human Rights Watch website page on Israel (entitled "Discrimination in Budget Allocations"). See also Sikkuy Report 2002-03, 13-18.
50. Shalom (Shuli) Dichter, "The Government's Plan for Development in the Arab Localities," in Sikkuy's 2000-01 Report, Jerusalem 2001, pp. 8-10.
51. Ibid., p. 10.
52. Quoted in After the Rift, pp. 48-49.
53. Ibid., p. 49.
54. Nadim Rouhana, Palestinian Citizens in the Ethnic Jewish State: Identities in Conflict, Yale University Press, 1997; Asad Ghanem, The Palestinian-Arab Minority in Israel, 1948-2003, SUNY Press, 2001; Zureik, ibid.; Sabri Jiryis, The Arabs of Israel, Monthly Review Press, 1976.
55. Nadim Rouhana, Palestinian Citizens in the Ethnic Jewish State: Identities in Conflict, Yale University Press, 1997; Asad Ghanem, The Palestinian-Arab Minority in Israel, 1948-2003, SUNY Press, 2001; Zureik, ibid.; Sabri Jiryis, The Arabs of Israel, Monthly Review Press, 1976.
56. Nadim Rouhana, Palestinian Citizens in the Ethnic Jewish State: Identities in Conflict, Yale University Press, 1997; Asad Ghanem, The Palestinian-Arab Minority in Israel, 1948-2003, SUNY Press, 2001; Zureik, ibid.; Sabri Jiryis, The Arabs of Israel, Monthly Review Press, 1976.
57. Nadim Rouhana, Palestinian Citizens in the Ethnic Jewish State: Identities in Conflict, Yale University Press, 1997; Asad Ghanem, The Palestinian-Arab Minority in Israel, 1948-2003, SUNY Press, 2001; Zureik, ibid.; Sabri Jiryis, The Arabs of Israel, Monthly Review Press, 1976.
58. David Kretzmer, The Legal Status of Arabs in Israel, Boulder, Westview Press, 1990; Alexandre Kedar, ibid.; Ashley C. Beuttel, "Policies of Ethnic Preference: Collective vs. Individual Rights in Israel," Middle East Policy 5(3), Sept. 1997, 69-89; Gideon Fishman and Arye Rathner, eds., Justice for All? Jews and Arabs in the Israeli Criminal Justice System, Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998; Lustick, ibid.
59. David Kretzmer, The Legal Status of Arabs in Israel, Boulder, Westview Press, 1990; Alexandre Kedar, ibid.; Ashley C. Beuttel, "Policies of Ethnic Preference: Collective vs. Individual Rights in Israel," Middle East Policy 5(3), Sept. 1997, 69-89; Gideon Fishman and Arye Rathner, eds., Justice for All? Jews and Arabs in the Israeli Criminal Justice System, Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998; Lustick, ibid.
60. David Kretzmer, The Legal Status of Arabs in Israel, Boulder, Westview Press, 1990; Alexandre Kedar, ibid.; Ashley C. Beuttel, "Policies of Ethnic Preference: Collective vs. Individual Rights in Israel," Middle East Policy 5(3), Sept. 1997, 69-89; Gideon Fishman and Arye Rathner, eds., Justice for All? Jews and Arabs in the Israeli Criminal Justice System, Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998; Lustick, ibid.
61. David Kretzmer, The Legal Status of Arabs in Israel, Boulder, Westview Press, 1990; Alexandre Kedar, ibid.; Ashley C. Beuttel, "Policies of Ethnic Preference: Collective vs. Individual Rights in Israel," Middle East Policy 5(3), Sept. 1997, 69-89; Gideon Fishman and Arye Rathner, eds., Justice for All? Jews and Arabs in the Israeli Criminal Justice System, Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998; Lustick, ibid.
62. David Kretzmer, The Legal Status of Arabs in Israel, Boulder, Westview Press, 1990; Alexandre Kedar, ibid.; Ashley C. Beuttel, "Policies of Ethnic Preference: Collective vs. Individual Rights in Israel," Middle East Policy 5(3), Sept. 1997, 69-89; Gideon Fishman and Arye Rathner, eds., Justice for All? Jews and Arabs in the Israeli Criminal Justice System, Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998; Lustick, ibid.
63. Ilan Peleg, "Israel Between Democratic Universalism and Particularist Judaism: Challenging a Sacred Formula," Yarnton Annual Report 2003, forthcoming.
64. See, for example, Gerald Steinberg, "The Poor in Your Own City Shall Have Precedence: A Critique of Katzir-Qaadan Case and Opinion," Israel Studies Bulletin 16(1), Fall 2000, 12-18.
65. See Peleg, 2003, ibid., as well as Ruth Gavison, Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State: Tensions and Chances, Tel Aviv, Hakibutz Hamuchad, 1999 (Hebrew).
66. See Peleg, 2003, ibid., as well as Ruth Gavison, Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State: Tensions and Chances, Tel Aviv, Hakibutz Hamuchad, 1999 (Hebrew).
67. After the Rift, p. 57.
68. Larry Diamond, Developing Democracy: Toward Consolidation, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999, especially Chapter 1.
69. Larry Diamond, Juan Linz, and S. M. Lipset, Politics in Developing Countries: Comparing Experiences with Democracy, Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 1990, 6-7.
70. Robert Dahl, Polyarchy, Participation and Observation, Yale University Press, 1971.
71. For Lijphart's thesis, see Democracies: Patterns of Majoritarian and Concensus Government in Twenty-One Countries, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984; The Politics of Accommodation: Pluralism and Democracy in the Netherlands, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968, and Democracy in Plural Societies: A Comparative Exploration, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977. For a critical view on the consociational perspective, see Ian Lustick, "Stability in Deeply Divided Societies: Consociationalism vs. Control," World Politics 31, April 1979, 325-44.
72. For Lijphart's thesis, see Democracies: Patterns of Majoritarian and Concensus Government in Twenty-One Countries, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984; The Politics of Accommodation: Pluralism and Democracy in the Netherlands, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968, and Democracy in Plural Societies: A Comparative Exploration, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977. For a critical view on the consociational perspective, see Ian Lustick, "Stability in Deeply Divided Societies: Consociationalism vs. Control," World Politics 31, April 1979, 325-44.
73. For Lijphart's thesis, see Democracies: Patterns of Majoritarian and Concensus Government in Twenty-One Countries, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984; The Politics of Accommodation: Pluralism and Democracy in the Netherlands, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968, and Democracy in Plural Societies: A Comparative Exploration, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977. For a critical view on the consociational perspective, see Ian Lustick, "Stability in Deeply Divided Societies: Consociationalism vs. Control," World Politics 31, April 1979, 325-44.
74. For Lijphart's thesis, see Democracies: Patterns of Majoritarian and Concensus Government in Twenty-One Countries, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984; The Politics of Accommodation: Pluralism and Democracy in the Netherlands, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968, and Democracy in Plural Societies: A Comparative Exploration, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977. For a critical view on the consociational perspective, see Ian Lustick, "Stability in Deeply Divided Societies: Consociationalism vs. Control," World Politics 31, April 1979, 325-44.
75. For an elaboration of the different regime types, see Ilan Peleg, "Transforming Hegemonic Ethnic Orders to Pluralist Regimes in Ethnically Divided Societies," in Adrian Guelke, ed., Democracy and Ethnic Conflict, Palgrave, 2004 (forthcoming).
76. Sammy Smooha, "Ethnic Democracy: Israel as an Archetype," Israel Studies 2(2), Fall 1997, 198-241.
77. Rogers Brubaker, Nationalism Reframed: Nationhood and the National Question in the New Europe, Cambridge, 1996.
78. Myron Aronoff, Israeli Visions and Divisions: Cultural Change and Political Conflict, Transaction Press, 1989.
79. Fareed Zakaria, "The Rise of Illiberal Democracy," Foreign Affairs 76(6), 1997, 22-43, and The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad, Norton, 2003.
80. Fareed Zakaria, "The Rise of Illiberal Democracy," Foreign Affairs 76(6), 1997, 22-43, and The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad, Norton, 2003.
81. Aronoff, ibid., and Myron Aronoff and Pierre Atlas, "The Peace Process and Competing Challenges in the Dominant Zionist Discourse," in Ilan Peleg, ed., The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, SUNY Press, 1998, 41-60.
82. Aronoff, ibid., and Myron Aronoff and Pierre Atlas, "The Peace Process and Competing Challenges in the Dominant Zionist Discourse," in Ilan Peleg, ed., The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, SUNY Press, 1998, 41-60.
83. Lustick, 1980; Kretzmer, 1990; Rouhana, 1997; Ghanem, 2001, etc.
84. Lustick, 1980; Kretzmer, 1990; Rouhana, 1997; Ghanem, 2001, etc.
85. Lustick, 1980; Kretzmer, 1990; Rouhana, 1997; Ghanem, 2001, etc.
86. Lustick, 1980; Kretzmer, 1990; Rouhana, 1997; Ghanem, 2001, etc.
87. Oren Yiftachel, "Democracy or Ethnocracy? Territory and Settler Politics in Israel/Palestine," Middle East Report, Summer 1998, 8-13.
88. Dan Rebinowitz and Hawla Abu Baker, The Stand-Tall Generation, Jerusalem, Keter, 2002 (Hebrew).
89. Ehud Sprinzak, The Ascendence of Israel's Radical Right, Oxford, 1991, and Brother Against Brother: Violence and Extremism in Israeli Politics from Altalena to the Rabin Assassination, Free Press, 1999; Ilan Peleg, Human Rights in the West Bank and Gaza: Legacy and Politics, Syracuse University Press, 1995.
90. Ehud Sprinzak, The Ascendence of Israel's Radical Right, Oxford, 1991, and Brother Against Brother: Violence and Extremism in Israeli Politics from Altalena to the Rabin Assassination, Free Press, 1999; Ilan Peleg, Human Rights in the West Bank and Gaza: Legacy and Politics, Syracuse University Press, 1995.
91. Ehud Sprinzak, The Ascendence of Israel's Radical Right, Oxford, 1991, and Brother Against Brother: Violence and Extremism in Israeli Politics from Altalena to the Rabin Assassination, Free Press, 1999; Ilan Peleg, Human Rights in the West Bank and Gaza: Legacy and Politics, Syracuse University Press, 1995.
92. Michael Kapin and Ina Friedman, Murder in the Name of God: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Zmora Brtan, 1999 (Hebrew).
93. Aronoff, ibid.; Yael Zerubavel, Recovered Roots: Collective Memory and the Making of Israeli National Tradition, University of Chicago Press, 1995; Dedi Zucker, We, the Secular Israelis: What is Secular Jewish Identity?, Hemed Books, 1999; Maoz Azaryahu, State Cults: Independence Celebrations and the Fallen, 1948-1956, Sde Boker, 1995 (Hebrew); and Daphna Barak-Erez, ed., A Jewish and Democratic State, 1996 (Hebrew) are but few examples of the vast literature dealing with the essence of Israeli society. See also my own "Epilogue" to Ilan Peleg, ed., The Middle East Peace Process, SUNY Press, 1998, 237-63.
94. Aronoff, ibid.; Yael Zerubavel, Recovered Roots: Collective Memory and the Making of Israeli National Tradition, University of Chicago Press, 1995; Dedi Zucker, We, the Secular Israelis: What is Secular Jewish Identity?, Hemed Books, 1999; Maoz Azaryahu, State Cults: Independence Celebrations and the Fallen, 1948-1956, Sde Boker, 1995 (Hebrew); and Daphna Barak-Erez, ed., A Jewish and Democratic State, 1996 (Hebrew) are but few examples of the vast literature dealing with the essence of Israeli society. See also my own "Epilogue" to Ilan Peleg, ed., The Middle East Peace Process, SUNY Press, 1998, 237-63.
95. Aronoff, ibid.; Yael Zerubavel, Recovered Roots: Collective Memory and the Making of Israeli National Tradition, University of Chicago Press, 1995; Dedi Zucker, We, the Secular Israelis: What is Secular Jewish Identity?, Hemed Books, 1999; Maoz Azaryahu, State Cults: Independence Celebrations and the Fallen, 1948-1956, Sde Boker, 1995 (Hebrew); and Daphna Barak-Erez, ed., A Jewish and Democratic State, 1996 (Hebrew) are but few examples of the vast literature dealing with the essence of Israeli society. See also my own "Epilogue" to Ilan Peleg, ed., The Middle East Peace Process, SUNY Press, 1998, 237-63.
96. Aronoff, ibid.; Yael Zerubavel, Recovered Roots: Collective Memory and the Making of Israeli National Tradition, University of Chicago Press, 1995; Dedi Zucker, We, the Secular Israelis: What is Secular Jewish Identity?, Hemed Books, 1999; Maoz Azaryahu, State Cults: Independence Celebrations and the Fallen, 1948-1956, Sde Boker, 1995 (Hebrew); and Daphna Barak-Erez, ed., A Jewish and Democratic State, 1996 (Hebrew) are but few examples of the vast literature dealing with the essence of Israeli society. See also my own "Epilogue" to Ilan Peleg, ed., The Middle East Peace Process, SUNY Press, 1998, 237-63.
97. Aronoff, ibid.; Yael Zerubavel, Recovered Roots: Collective Memory and the Making of Israeli National Tradition, University of Chicago Press, 1995; Dedi Zucker, We, the Secular Israelis: What is Secular Jewish Identity?, Hemed Books, 1999; Maoz Azaryahu, State Cults: Independence Celebrations and the Fallen, 1948-1956, Sde Boker, 1995 (Hebrew); and Daphna Barak-Erez, ed., A Jewish and Democratic State, 1996 (Hebrew) are but few examples of the vast literature dealing with the essence of Israeli society. See also my own "Epilogue" to Ilan Peleg, ed., The Middle East Peace Process, SUNY Press, 1998, 237-63.
98. Aronoff, ibid.; Yael Zerubavel, Recovered Roots: Collective Memory and the Making of Israeli National Tradition, University of Chicago Press, 1995; Dedi Zucker, We, the Secular Israelis: What is Secular Jewish Identity?, Hemed Books, 1999; Maoz Azaryahu, State Cults: Independence Celebrations and the Fallen, 1948-1956, Sde Boker, 1995 (Hebrew); and Daphna Barak-Erez, ed., A Jewish and Democratic State, 1996 (Hebrew) are but few examples of the vast literature dealing with the essence of Israeli society. See also my own "Epilogue" to Ilan Peleg, ed., The Middle East Peace Process, SUNY Press, 1998, 237-63.