ISRAEL’S MINORITIES The majority of Israel’s 2.1 million minority population is the Arab Sunni The Druze, whose population is Muslims, who number approximately approximately 130,000 people. They 1.5 million (including approximately live mostly in the northern part of Israel 300,000 Bedouins). and the Golan Heights. The Baha’i, whose population is approximately 200 people. They have their global center in Haifa. EVEN THOUGH ISRAEL IDENTIFIES THROUGH A SERIES OF BASIC The Karaites, an ancient community, whose population numbers AS, AND INDEED IS RECOGNISED ISRAELI LAWS, EVERY ISRAELI approximately 40,000 people. AS, THE HOMELAND OF THE CITIZEN, REGARDLESS OF In addition, another two Muslim groups JEWISH PEOPLE, 2.1 MILLION RELIGION, RACE, GENDER OR found in Israel are the Circassian community of the Galilee, consisting of OF ITS 8.85 MILLION POPULATION SEXUAL ORIENTATION, HAS EQUAL approximately 4000 members, and the Ahmadi community, mostly located in IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS Haifa and consisting of approximately NOT JEWISH. THEY MAKE UP AND IS GUARANTEED FREEDOM 2200 members. The Christian community in Israel consists The Samaritans whose population APPROXIMATELY 25% OF ISRAEL’S OF RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION. of approximately 162,000 people. The numbers approximately 800. Both the majority of them are Greek Orthodox, Karaites and Samaritans are parallels of POPULATION. Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic. the Jewish faith. Facts about Israel’s minorities: • Arabs and other minorities in Israel have equal voting rights to Israel’s Jewish citizens. • Israel is one of the few places in the Middle East where Arab women may vote. • The vernacular of most of Israel’s Arab citizens, irrespective of religion, is Arabic, although most Arab citizens of Israel are functionally bilingual, their second language being Modern Hebrew. • The sole legal distinction between • Israel’s Arab Christians matriculate to • The Circassian Muslims speak Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel is university at a higher rate than Jewish both Adyghe and Hebrew, and many that the latter are not required to serve Israelis. also speak Arabic and English, while in the Israeli army. This was to spare cultivating their unique heritage and Arab citizens the need to take up arms • At the time of Israel’s founding in • Israel’s minority citizens have freedom culture. against their brethren. Nevertheless, 1948, only one Arab high school was of speech, religion and the press, many Arabs, both Muslim and Christian, operating. Today, there are hundreds of access to the Supreme Court, 17 non- • Israel is the only country in the Middle have volunteered, and continue to Arab schools throughout the country. Jewish Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) East where Ahmadi Muslims can openly volunteer, for military duty. members, and are freer than any other practice their version of the Islamic faith. Arab citizens in the region. • Of Israel’s minorities, only the Druze and Circassian communities are subject to Israel’s military draft. • Under the current coalition government led by PM Benjamin Netanyahu, more has been done, and more funds have been committed to the minority population than ever before. • Israel is the only country in the Middle • In general, the standard of living for East whose Christian population is not Arabs in Israel is significantly better only integrated and flourishing, but than that of Arabs in other countries. is increasing too. Without exception, For example, the rate of female literacy the Christian population of every other in Israel is 88% among Arabs, while in Middle Eastern country has declined. Egypt, only 43% of females are literate. “in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months - ISRAEL’S to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and MINORITIES IN due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.” Whilst the Declaration is neither a law ITS POLITICAL nor an ordinary legal document, the Supreme Court has ruled that the guarantees were guiding principles, principles that have subsequently been & LEGAL SYSTEM enshrined into a series of Basic Laws. Although the name of the Israeli The founders of the State of Israel parliament - the Knesset - is derived committed themselves to ensuring from Jewish history, the members of the equal rights for all its citizens (including Knesset are elected by all citizens of the minorities), and this is reflected in State of Israel, Jews and Arabs alike, in Israel’s Declaration of Independence, elections that are equal. In addition, the which was read out by David Ben proportional electoral system ensures Insofar as ALL of Israel’s citizens are which was passed in July 2018 drew Gurion, on 14th May 1948 in Tel Aviv. relative and egalitarian representation concerned, there are two relevant international criticism, as well as from for each sector of the population and Basic Laws. the Palestinian leadership and heads of Paragraph 13 of the Declaration does not enhance the advantage of Israel’s minorities, the Nation-State Law states: the Jewish majority beyond its relative Basic Law: Human Dignity and contains no additional rights for Jews; “it will foster the development of weight in the population. Liberty is a Basic Law in the State of nor does it promulgate fewer rights for the country for the benefit of all its Israel, enacted to protect the country’s Arabs. Amongst some of the criticism inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, main human rights for ALL its citizens. is that the Law downgrades Arabic justice and peace as envisaged by It declares that basic human rights in from an official language to one with a the prophets of Israel; it will ensure Israel are based on the recognition of ‘special status.’ However, upon closer complete equality of social and political the value of man, the sanctity of his life scrutiny of the content of the Law, rights to all its inhabitants irrespective and the fact that he is free. This Basic this can be seen largely as a symbolic of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee Law enjoys super-legal status, giving sleight since a subsequent clause says, freedom of religion, conscience, the Supreme Court the authority to “This clause does not harm the status language, education and culture; it disqualify any law contradicting it. given to the Arabic language before this will safeguard the Holy Places of all law came into effect.” religions; and it will be faithful to the Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation It is worth noting that the Palestinian principles of the Charter of the United is a Basic Law in the state of Israel Authority’s own Basic Palestinian Law Nations.” which guarantees every Israeli national confirms that Arabic shall be the official or resident’s “right to engage in any language of a Palestinian state (making And Paragraph 16 of the Declaration occupation, profession or trade”. no mention of any other language), that appealed to the Arab inhabitants of Islam is its official religion and Sharia will the land: Whilst Israel’s Nation-State Law form the basis of its legal system. party in Israel. He currently serves as • Jamal Hakrush, an Arab Muslim, one of ten Deputy Speakers of the serves as a deputy commissioner in the HOW ISRAEL’S Knesset. Israel Police. • Salim Joubran, a MINORITIES FIT Christian Arab, is a former Supreme Court Judge and • Rana Raslan, an Arab Muslim model INTO ISRAELI was the first was Miss Israel in 1999. Arab to receive a permanent appointment SOCIETY in the Israeli • Monaliza Supreme Abdo, a Israel’s minorities are present and Court. Christian represented throughout every level Arab, of Israeli society, from its Knesset • George Karra serves as a (Parliament) and Supreme Court, to its is a judge Commander defence forces and media, and beyond. in the Israeli in the IDF. Supreme Court • Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel, an Israeli Politics: and was the Arab, won Israel’s MasterChef in 2014, judge who beating two Jewish contestants for the • The 2015 elections included 18 Arab convicted • Major Alaa Waheeb, a Muslim Arab, is title. members of Knesset (MKs). Along former Israeli the IDF’s highest ranking Muslim soldier. with 13 members of the Joint List, President, there were four Arab parliamentarians Moshe Katsav, representing Zionist parties, which is of rape. more than double their number in the previous Knesset. Security: • Ahmad Tibi is an Arab-Muslim Israeli politician and leader of the Arab • Faten Nassraldin is a female Israeli Movement for Change (Ta’al), an Arab Druze police officer. • Amira al Hayb was the first female • Hiam Abbass is a Palestinian Bedouin soldier to serve in a combat actress and film director living in position in the IDF. Israel. During the filming of the Steven Spielberg film Munich, Abbass lived in Popular culture and television: a hotel with the Palestinian Arab and Israeli actors for three months. During • Israel’s Eurovision entrant in 2009 that time, they had many discussions was a Christian Arab, Mira Awad. that “helped both sides grow closer”. Academia and medicine: Education: Hi-tech: • Professor Alean Al-Krenawi, a • In 2012, the government initiated • In April 2018, the Knesset committee Bedouin, is President of the Achva a program to make higher education for Arab affairs approved a $5.6 million College at Ben Gurion university. more accessible to the Arab public. two-year plan for the creation of A study released in January 2018 by technology parks within Arab towns the Council for Higher Education found in Israel to boost local employment that the total number of Arab-Israeli opportunities. students pursuing all forms of higher- education in Israel rose by 78.5% from 2010 to 2017.