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The Palestinian Citizens in Israel
Abstract
How can the Palestinian citizens in Israel be integrated to the Palestinian body politic? The Palestinian minority has not been historically represented in the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s institutions. Instead, they have been represented in the Israeli parliament. In recent years there are growing concerns regarding the efficacy of this political representation in Israeli parliament and less members of the minority vote in the elections than before. Nevertheless, Palestinians – whether within or without the minority – have rarely contemplated integrating Palestinian citizens within the PLO. One reason is the fear that such a step would complicate and even endanger their fragile status inside Israel. The increasing talk about reforming PLO institutions has also evaded this issue. Would the collapse of the Oslo process, in which the Palestinian citizens became a purely Israeli domestic issue, bring a change in this issue? What benefit, if at all, would this inclusion bring? Should supporters of one-state include these citizens in the debate over representation? Is representation within the Palestinian body politic achieved only through voting for and being elected in PLO institutions? Is the body politic reduced to these institutions or can be imagined in different complimentary ways? This presentation aims to grapple with these questions against the backdrop of moral and political-prudential considerations.
Discipline
Political Science
Geographic Area
Israel
Sub Area
Arab-Israeli Conflict