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State Attitudes Towards Palestinian Christians in a Jewish Ethnocracy

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State Attitudes Towards Palestinian Christians in a Jewish Ethnocracy Durham E-Theses State Attitudes towards Palestinian Christians in a Jewish Ethnocracy MCGAHERN, UNA How to cite: MCGAHERN, UNA (2010) State Attitudes towards Palestinian Christians in a Jewish Ethnocracy, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/128/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk State Attitudes towards Palestinian Christians in a Jewish Ethnocracy Una McGahern PhD in Political Science School of Government & International Affairs Durham University 2010 Abstract This thesis challenges the assumption of Israeli state bias in favour of its Palestinian Christian population. Using ethnocratic and control theories it argues instead that the Palestinian Christians are inextricably associated with the wider Arab “problem” and remain, as a result, permanently outside the boundaries of the dominant Jewish national consensus. Moreover, this thesis argues that state attitudes towards the small Palestinian Christian communities are quite unique and distinguishable from its attitudes towards other segments of the Palestinian Arab minority, whether Muslim or Druze. Despite being considered a relatively modern and secular community, its small size, weak electoral power, extensive external links and its central role in Palestinian Arab national politics have resulted in a basic level of ambivalence towards them on the part of the authorities. This is compounded by Jewish memories of Christian persecution in Europe which have come, to some extent, to be redirected at disconnected local Christian communities and churches. At the same time, the growth of Jewish religious politics in society and particularly within the Israeli political establishment has resulted in a noticeable rise in previous levels of anti- Christian religious antipathy. These factors have combined to produce a visible pattern in the manner in which the state engages with its Palestinian Christian citizens today. This thesis concludes through the use of recent case-studies and a series of semi-structured interviews that Israeli state attitudes towards its Palestinian Christian population are, in fact, best described as being based on indifference and neglect rather than on any other single factor. iii Acknowledgements The road which leads to the final submission and examination of any PhD thesis is long and winding, full of as many pot-holes and bumps as it is smooth stretches. While the process is immensely gratifying, it is also deeply challenging. At such times, it is invariably the encouragement and faith of colleagues, friends and family members which keeps the lone researcher “on track”. As such, I owe a deep debt of gratitude to all those who have provided me with the support and friendship needed to bring this thesis to fruition. I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Emma Murphy, for her support and guidance throughout the whole process. In the early stages of my thesis, when thoughts of completion seemed so distant and unachievable, her practical advice on the technical requirements of a PhD kept me grounded and focused. Later on, when draft chapters began to appear on her desk, her critical eye and direct feedback gave me cause on more than one occasion to reassess my structure and style. Finally, and most importantly, her insistence that I keep “pushing the boat out” in terms of my analysis was instrumental in producing a more solid, coherent and defensible piece of work and, I hope, a better researcher in me! I am also very grateful to all the academics, NGO representatives, political figures and church leaders in Israel, Palestine and the UK who gave freely and willingly of their busy time. This research would have been impossible without their cooperation, so I am beholden to them for their uniform graciousness, frankness and hospitality – and for all the cups of tea! I would like to give special thanks to my sponsors. A PhD is a costly and, in many cases, a prohibitively expensive affair. Had it not been for external financial support, this PhD would surely have remained a pipe-dream. As such, I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Ustinov College and to the Sir Peter Ustinov Prejudice Scholarship Fund for believing in me and for relieving me of the burden of living, accommodation and travel costs for the duration of my PhD. In particular, I would like to offer my special thanks to Dr. Penny Wilson, Ustinov College Principal, for her personal support and encouragement of me throughout my time in Durham. I would also like to acknowledge the generous support of the ESRC for covering my tuition fees for the duration of my studies, as well as the CBRL and BRISMES for financing my first field trip to the region in 2006. Last but not least, I would like to thank all my dear friends and family members who have, through their love and support, cushioned this ride for me. In particular, I owe an eternal debt of personal gratitude to all the Ashkar family of Nazareth for taking me into their hearts with unreserved kindness and generosity, for providing me with a home away from home whenever I needed it and for exposing me to the true warmth and beauty of Palestinian Arab culture and hospitality. For his constant encouragement, warmth and patience throughout this whole process, I am also very grateful to my dear friend, Sina Badreddine. And finally, for their unwavering support on every single step of this journey, for instilling in me the hope, passion, ambition and drive necessary to complete it, and for leading the way through their own brilliant examples, I owe the greatest deal of thanks, admiration and love to my parents, Harold and Margaret. iv Table of Contents List of Tables & Maps ...........................................................................................................vii Introduction..............................................................................................................................1 Chapter One: Society, State & Minority Policy in Israel.....................................................8 1.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................8 1.2 Israel as a Deeply Divided Society .............................................................................9 1.3 Israel as an Ethnocratic State ...................................................................................12 1.4 Minority Policy in an Ethnocratic State....................................................................24 1.5 Conclusion.................................................................................................................42 Chapter Two: Profile of the Palestinian Christians in Israel ............................................44 2.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................44 2.2 Ethnicity ....................................................................................................................45 2.3 Nationality.................................................................................................................46 2.4 Population Size..........................................................................................................48 2.5 Internal Religious Divisions......................................................................................49 2.6 Regional Distribution................................................................................................51 2.7 Vital Statistics............................................................................................................57 2.8 Economic Indicators .................................................................................................58 2.9 Political Representation............................................................................................63 2.10 Conclusion.................................................................................................................69 Chapter Three: Writing the Palestinian Christians in Israel............................................70 3.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................70 3.2 A “Modern, Westernised and Secular” Community .................................................71 v 3.3 Ethnically Arab .........................................................................................................74 3.4 A Non-Muslim Minority ............................................................................................79 3.5 A Small, Insignificant Community.............................................................................84 3.6 Political Behaviour & the Issue of Loyalty ...............................................................89 3.7
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