FAQ

• The Ministry for Development of the Negev and the Galilee under the supervision of Silvan Shalom was established in 2005.

• The Negev, comprising about half of Israel's land area, is sparsely inhabited, its population supported by an agricultural and industrial economy.

• A ten-year plan, which was approved by the Government in November 2005, focuses on the area south of the Sderot-Beit Kama-Arad line. The plan is designed to reduce the socio-economic gaps between residents of the Negev and residents of the center of the country, and strengthen settlement in the Negev.

• The Government has recognized the Negev as a primary national objective and has allocated NIS 17 billion to the plan. In the framework of the plan, the Government has set the following goals: Increasing the population of the Negev, increasing employment, raising per capita wages to the national average and increasing the number of students

• The Negev has always been a bridge between cultures – firstly between Israel and the Arab countries who meet at the shores of the Red Sea, and develop the Mediterranean coastline in Rafiah, Gaza and Ashkelon.

• Additionally, the Negev is an example of co-existence between the Jewish and the Bedouin residents. The State of Israel takes every possible step to assist the Bedouin, to give them equal rights and duties in our State, to be part of the splendid mosaic that makes up the State of Israel and the Negev. More information about some of the steps the government has taken to ensure improved standers for the Bedouin community in the Negev can be found here. http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/Spokesman/2011/09/spokenegev110911.htm

• The Negev aims to be the home of a rich industry that will be established along the shores of the Dead Sea and Ramat Hovav and Be'er Sheva, which will have to expand to further locations, that will offer a decent livelihood to many, and will be a center of production and exports.

• The Negev is a center for learning and education, its nucleus is the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, as well as a number of other learning centers from the College of Sha'ar Hanegev to the branch of Ben Gurion University in Eilat.

• Ben Gurion built his home in the Negev not only because of his love for this land. The Negev was, in his eyes, the focus of the realization of our future in the entire Land of Israel.

• There have been a number of initiatives to focus on strengthen the Negev examples include; the transfer of IDF camps to the Negev, including 11,000 soldiers from a long series of bases, move to permanent service in the Negev, and hundreds of families of career soldiers concomitantly move to live in Negev communities; the initiative to establish a Science Park in Beer-Sheva, and the vital ecological solutions in Ramat-Hovav, the industrial zone which provides thousands of workplaces and exports goods worth over two billion dollars annually, an extremely significant addition to the infrastructure of Israel's economic stability.

• Additionally much has been done to connect this area with the rest of Israel with the paving of Road 6 and the continued construction of Road 6 southward.

• The Government has, launched a new (Hebrew only!) website that deals with the Negev 2015 development plan: http://www.negev.gov.il/Negev The website provides current information on all aspects of the national strategic Negev development plan and will be updated and modified on a regular basis

Introduction

In July 2010, the Israel Lands Administration demolished illegal buildings that had been constructed in an encroachment onto state lands. In a media blitz, the action earned the epithet of the “destruction of the entire Araqib village,” and the squatters, who were evicted in accordance with the law, and after their petitions against the eviction were denied in a series of judgments by the three judicial instances, are claiming in Israel and around the world that the action taken by the state is ethnic cleansing, discrimination, racism, abuse, the cruel destruction of their homes and the plunder of their land.

These claims are incorrect and are part of the propaganda aimed at delegitimizing Israel’s government and legal system. The State of Israel does not steal land from the Bedouins. The lands of the Negev have been state lands since the days of the Ottoman Empire and the Bedouins had no right of ownership to them. The State of Israel is obligated to preserve the public lands and to manage them in favor of all its citizens. “Kfar Araqib” is no more than a collection of relatively new illegal structures, that were constructed by a group headed by the owners of villas from Rahat and Kfar Kasem. The squatting and illegal settlement on the land were a blatant violation of the law and of clear court judgments. A state that wishes to survive cannot allow itself to ignore its laws and it cannot allow a situation of wanton lawlessness to prevail. The rule of law requires enforcement against squatting and illegal construction and, in that context, the structures that were built in defiant violation of the law were demolished.

The Facts

• The inhabitants of Al-Araqib are squatters. The village sits on territory that has been state land (‘Mawat’) since Ottoman times; this status was adopted by the British Mandate and has since been absorbed into Israeli law.  Since the early years of the state, the land has been held by the Development Authority and Israel Lands Administration.

• The demolitions were strictly legal and effected in full accordance with court rulings. Since the courts have rejected numerous petitions by Bedouins, all construction is in violation of the law and clear court judgements.

• The buildings in Al-Araqib were erected only recently in 1998 by the Abu Madyam and Abu Jaber families from Rahat and Kfar Kasem, respectively. Although the families started with agricultural settlements, they then proceeded to construct concrete edifices. Satellite pictures of the area attest to this.

• The Bedouins have been unable to substantiate the claim of land ownership with any documentary evidence. The Supreme Court has found that the inhabitants acted in bad faith, unable to provide even prima facie evidence for ownership claims. On occasion, Bedouins have been known to attempt to expel the legal occupants (other Bedouin farmers) from territory they claim to have held in the past.

• In the 1970s, Israel invited the Bedouins to register their claims in the Land Registry in order to obtain such documentary evidence; some did, but others did not. Those who failed to procure deeds are thus squatting on state land.

• The families who claim Al-Araqib also own villas and plots in Rahat. Abdullah Abu Maydam, one of Al-Araqib’s inhabitants, is a merchant, who is using the illegal structures to store his merchandise. The picture of him arriving onsite in a luxury car dispels the narrative propagated by anti-Israel groups. The Al-Uqbi family, quoted by the media as one of the dispossessed families, has been given free land by the state in the town of Hura.

Minorities in Israel (March 2011):

"(The State of Israel), will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations." (From Israel's Declaration of Independence)

Consequently, every citizen of Israel is entitled by law to vote and be elected, every person has the right, by law, to follow and maintain his own religion, culture and language and each person is free to live his life as his conscience so directs him.

Israel claim that the way a society treats its minorities is another reflection of its democratic values. Committed to providing equality for every citizen is an integral part of Israel's principles and the country strives hard to meet the tough standards that it has set for itself in this regard. Although forced into a constant state of conflict with the Palestinians and much of the Arab world, Israel remains committed to its original promise in the Declaration of Independence.

Israel, as envisioned by the founder of modern political Zionism, Theodore Herzl, was established as a homeland for the Jewish people, and Jews do in fact make up the majority of the population. Nevertheless, Israeli society consists of a multiplicity of cultures, nationalities and religions.

The nascent state also adopted a democratic way of life from the onset and chose to define itself not just as a Jewish state, but as a "Jewish and democratic state". Thus, while dedicated to the implementation of the objective endorsed by the United Nations, to provide a national homeland for the Jewish people, Israel is just as committed to the fulfillment of its other adopted goal, to serve as a progressive democracy.

Guidelines of the Government of Israel (1996):

The Government is striving for national unity, social justice, and personal liberty, and searches for genuine peace with all of its neighbors while safeguarding national and personal security, this shall serve as the basis for the Government's policies;

The Government will work to achieve the following goals (obviously selected relevant goals):

• Promoting values of the State of Israel as a Jewish, democratic state, while maintaining a proper balance between the will of the majority and the rights of individual and minorities.
• The Government will act to bring the religious and secular closer through mutual understanding and respect. The Government will retain the status quo on religious matters. Whenever it becomes clear that the status quo was violated, the Government will look into steps to undo the change, including introducing legislation.
• The Government will work to create social justice and equal opportunity for all, while recognizing that every person has the right to dignity and quality of life. The Government will strive to create a strong society in Israel, by maintaining balance encouraging private enterprise and government involvement.

• The Government will act toward the full integration of minorities in Israel into every area. Special efforts will be made for the advancement of minorities who have joined their fate with that of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and who have served in the security forces.
• The Government will act to enlarge the budgets of local Arab authorities which require improved basic infrastructures, in an effort to reduce gaps between them and other communities.
• Efforts will be made to absorb minority academics, particularly those who have completed military duties in the service of the State, in public institutions, in order to continue their participation in public and official responsibility for the State they served in the security services.

For most of the 62 years since its establishment, the State of Israel has remained an oasis of democracy and pluralism in a region noted for its authoritarian regimes. Although some of these regimes offer varying degrees of rights to their citizens, none come close to the western democratic values and liberties which characterize Israeli society.

In several Arab countries and Iran, minorities are suppressed. In stark contrast, minorities in Israel are entitled to equal rights under the law and have judicial recourse to addressing their grievances when problems arise. These same minorities are represented in the Israeli Knesset.

The judiciary, as mentioned above,  also plays an important role in promoting equality in Israeli society. The courts accept applications and cases from all petitioners, independent of the petitioner's nationality, religion or race. Any perception of discrimination or wrongful conduct in this area is also carefully investigated by the relevant Israeli bodies and care is taken not to repeat any mistakes that may have been made.

General info and Statistics:

Some 1.8 million people, comprising some 24 percent of Israel's population, are non-Jews. Although defined collectively as Arab citizens of Israel, they include a number of different, primarily Arabic-speaking, groups, each with distinct characteristics.

Israel officially recognizes 15 distinct religious groups. Each religious community regulates its own rules about marriage, divorce and wills.

Muslim Arabs, over 1.2 million people, most of whom are Sunni.

Bedouin Arabs, also Muslim (estimated at approximately 250,000), the Bedouin are currently in transition from a tribal social framework to a permanently settled society and are gradually entering Israel's labor force.

Christian Arabs, some 123,000. Although many denominations are nominally represented, the majority are affiliated with the Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. Christians in Israel make up 2.1 percent of the population and increased from 34,000 in 1948 to 154,000 in 2009. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country in which the Christian population has grown in the last half century.

The Druze, some 122,000 Arabic-speakers, constitute a separate cultural, social, and religious community.

The Circassians, comprising some 4,000 people, are Sunni Muslims, although they share neither the Arab origin nor the cultural background of the larger Islamic community.

The Israeli city of Haifa is home to the Baha’i world headquarters. The Baha’i faith is an independent religion that arose in Persia in the mid-19th century.

Israel's Arab community constitutes mainly a working-class sector in a middle-class society. Essentially non-assimilating, the community's distinct identity is facilitated through the use of Arabic, Israel's second official language.

While customs of the past are still part of daily life, a gradual weakening of tribal and patriarchal authority, the effects of compulsory education and participation in Israel's democratic process are rapidly affecting traditional outlooks and lifestyles. Concurrently the status of Israeli Arab women has been significantly liberalized by legislation stipulating equal rights for women and prohibition of polygamy and child marriage.

The political involvement of the Arab sector is manifested in national and municipal elections. Arab citizens run the political and administrative affairs of their own municipalities and represent Arab interests through their elected representatives in the Knesset.

Since Israel's establishment (1948), Arab citizens have been exempted from compulsory service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). At the same time, volunteer military service is encouraged, with some choosing this option every year. Since 1957, at the request of their community leaders, IDF service has been mandatory for Druze and Circassian men, while the number of Bedouin joining the career army voluntarily increases steadily.

They have adopted Hebrew as a second language and Israeli culture as an extra layer in their lives. At the same time, they strive to attain a higher degree of participation in national life, greater integration into the economy and more benefits for their own towns and villages.

Thus, Israel is not a meltingpot society, but rather more of a mosaic made up of different population groups coexisting in the framework of a democratic state.

Examples and Highlights:

The Arab sector has become more politically prominent in recent years. For the first time, an Arab Justice was appointed to the Supreme Court and Arab deputy ministers have served in Israel's Government. Arab citizens serve in Israel's Foreign Service as diplomats and ambassadors on behalf of the country.

As in the country's other ethnic sectors, Arab cultural activities and preservation of the Arab cultural heritage are encouraged by various government and voluntary agencies that offer assistance, ranging from grants to writers and artists to providing support for museums and cultural centers.

Arab-Israelis are the largest minority group in Israel and are active in all facets of Israeli life.

• Arab-Israelis have won as many as 12 of the 120 Knesset seats in a single election.
• Israel’s first Muslim consul-general served in Atlanta from 1987-1990, its first Muslim ambassador was appointed to Finland in 1995 and its first Druze ambassador was appointed to Vietnam in 1999.
• In 1992, Emile Habibi, author and former Knesset member, was awarded the Israel prize for Arabic literature.
• In 2004, Bnei Sakhnin became the first Arab-Israeli soccer team to win the State Cup.
• In January 2008, Israel honored 96-year-old Sheik Abu Muamar with a lifetime achievement award for his commitment to Israel, his military service, and his leadership in the Bedouin community, in which he was called the “sheik of all sheiks.”
• Wild Badir: an Israeli football star is the captain of Hapoel Tel Aviv team (Arab).
• Mira Awad: an actress, singer, songwriter, represented Israel at the 2009 Eurovision song contest (Arab).
• Rana Raslan: former Miss Israel (Arab).
• Majalli Wahabi: a former Deputy speaker of the Knesset. Acting President of Israel in February 2007 (Druze).
• Reda Mansour: Israeli historian, poet and former Ambassador to Ecuador (Druze).
• Salim Joubran: Israeli Supreme Court Justice (Arab).

• The Ministry for Development of the Negev and the Galilee under the supervision of Silvan Shalom was established in 2005.

• The Negev, comprising about half of Israel's land area, is sparsely inhabited, its population supported by an agricultural and industrial economy.

• A ten-year plan, which was approved by the Government in November 2005, focuses on the area south of the Sderot-Beit Kama-Arad line. The plan is designed to reduce the socio-economic gaps between residents of the Negev and residents of the center of the country, and strengthen settlement in the Negev.

• The Government has recognized the Negev as a primary national objective and has allocated NIS 17 billion to the plan. In the framework of the plan, the Government has set the following goals: Increasing the population of the Negev, increasing employment, raising per capita wages to the national average and increasing the number of students

• The Negev has always been a bridge between cultures – firstly between Israel and the Arab countries who meet at the shores of the Red Sea, and develop the Mediterranean coastline in Rafiah, Gaza and Ashkelon.

• Additionally, the Negev is an example of co-existence between the Jewish and the Bedouin residents. The State of Israel takes every possible step to assist the Bedouin, to give them equal rights and duties in our State, to be part of the splendid mosaic that makes up the State of Israel and the Negev. More information about some of the steps the government has taken to ensure improved standers for the Bedouin community in the Negev can be found here. http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/Spokesman/2011/09/spokenegev110911.htm

• The Negev aims to be the home of a rich industry that will be established along the shores of the Dead Sea and Ramat Hovav and Be'er Sheva, which will have to expand to further locations, that will offer a decent livelihood to many, and will be a center of production and exports.

• The Negev is a center for learning and education, its nucleus is the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, as well as a number of other learning centers from the College of Sha'ar Hanegev to the branch of Ben Gurion University in Eilat.

• Ben Gurion built his home in the Negev not only because of his love for this land. The Negev was, in his eyes, the focus of the realization of our future in the entire Land of Israel.

• There have been a number of initiatives to focus on strengthen the Negev examples include; the transfer of IDF camps to the Negev, including 11,000 soldiers from a long series of bases, move to permanent service in the Negev, and hundreds of families of career soldiers concomitantly move to live in Negev communities; the initiative to establish a Science Park in Beer-Sheva, and the vital ecological solutions in Ramat-Hovav, the industrial zone which provides thousands of workplaces and exports goods worth over two billion dollars annually, an extremely significant addition to the infrastructure of Israel's economic stability.

• Additionally much has been done to connect this area with the rest of Israel with the paving of Road 6 and the continued construction of Road 6 southward.

• The Government has, launched a new (Hebrew only!) website that deals with the Negev 2015 development plan: http://www.negev.gov.il/Negev The website provides current information on all aspects of the national strategic Negev development plan and will be updated and modified on a regular basis

Introduction

In July 2010, the Israel Lands Administration demolished illegal buildings that had been constructed in an encroachment onto state lands. In a media blitz, the action earned the epithet of the “destruction of the entire Araqib village,” and the squatters, who were evicted in accordance with the law, and after their petitions against the eviction were denied in a series of judgments by the three judicial instances, are claiming in Israel and around the world that the action taken by the state is ethnic cleansing, discrimination, racism, abuse, the cruel destruction of their homes and the plunder of their land.

These claims are incorrect and are part of the propaganda aimed at delegitimizing Israel’s government and legal system. The State of Israel does not steal land from the Bedouins. The lands of the Negev have been state lands since the days of the Ottoman Empire and the Bedouins had no right of ownership to them. The State of Israel is obligated to preserve the public lands and to manage them in favor of all its citizens. “Kfar Araqib” is no more than a collection of relatively new illegal structures, that were constructed by a group headed by the owners of villas from Rahat and Kfar Kasem. The squatting and illegal settlement on the land were a blatant violation of the law and of clear court judgments. A state that wishes to survive cannot allow itself to ignore its laws and it cannot allow a situation of wanton lawlessness to prevail. The rule of law requires enforcement against squatting and illegal construction and, in that context, the structures that were built in defiant violation of the law were demolished.

The Facts

• The inhabitants of Al-Araqib are squatters. The village sits on territory that has been state land (‘Mawat’) since Ottoman times; this status was adopted by the British Mandate and has since been absorbed into Israeli law.  Since the early years of the state, the land has been held by the Development Authority and Israel Lands Administration.

• The demolitions were strictly legal and effected in full accordance with court rulings. Since the courts have rejected numerous petitions by Bedouins, all construction is in violation of the law and clear court judgements.

• The buildings in Al-Araqib were erected only recently in 1998 by the Abu Madyam and Abu Jaber families from Rahat and Kfar Kasem, respectively. Although the families started with agricultural settlements, they then proceeded to construct concrete edifices. Satellite pictures of the area attest to this.

• The Bedouins have been unable to substantiate the claim of land ownership with any documentary evidence. The Supreme Court has found that the inhabitants acted in bad faith, unable to provide even prima facie evidence for ownership claims. On occasion, Bedouins have been known to attempt to expel the legal occupants (other Bedouin farmers) from territory they claim to have held in the past.

• In the 1970s, Israel invited the Bedouins to register their claims in the Land Registry in order to obtain such documentary evidence; some did, but others did not. Those who failed to procure deeds are thus squatting on state land.

• The families who claim Al-Araqib also own villas and plots in Rahat. Abdullah Abu Maydam, one of Al-Araqib’s inhabitants, is a merchant, who is using the illegal structures to store his merchandise. The picture of him arriving onsite in a luxury car dispels the narrative propagated by anti-Israel groups. The Al-Uqbi family, quoted by the media as one of the dispossessed families, has been given free land by the state in the town of Hura.

Minorities in Israel (March 2011):

"(The State of Israel), will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations." (From Israel's Declaration of Independence)

Consequently, every citizen of Israel is entitled by law to vote and be elected, every person has the right, by law, to follow and maintain his own religion, culture and language and each person is free to live his life as his conscience so directs him.

Israel claim that the way a society treats its minorities is another reflection of its democratic values. Committed to providing equality for every citizen is an integral part of Israel's principles and the country strives hard to meet the tough standards that it has set for itself in this regard. Although forced into a constant state of conflict with the Palestinians and much of the Arab world, Israel remains committed to its original promise in the Declaration of Independence.

Israel, as envisioned by the founder of modern political Zionism, Theodore Herzl, was established as a homeland for the Jewish people, and Jews do in fact make up the majority of the population. Nevertheless, Israeli society consists of a multiplicity of cultures, nationalities and religions.

The nascent state also adopted a democratic way of life from the onset and chose to define itself not just as a Jewish state, but as a "Jewish and democratic state". Thus, while dedicated to the implementation of the objective endorsed by the United Nations, to provide a national homeland for the Jewish people, Israel is just as committed to the fulfillment of its other adopted goal, to serve as a progressive democracy.

Guidelines of the Government of Israel (1996):

The Government is striving for national unity, social justice, and personal liberty, and searches for genuine peace with all of its neighbors while safeguarding national and personal security, this shall serve as the basis for the Government's policies;

The Government will work to achieve the following goals (obviously selected relevant goals):

• Promoting values of the State of Israel as a Jewish, democratic state, while maintaining a proper balance between the will of the majority and the rights of individual and minorities.
• The Government will act to bring the religious and secular closer through mutual understanding and respect. The Government will retain the status quo on religious matters. Whenever it becomes clear that the status quo was violated, the Government will look into steps to undo the change, including introducing legislation.
• The Government will work to create social justice and equal opportunity for all, while recognizing that every person has the right to dignity and quality of life. The Government will strive to create a strong society in Israel, by maintaining balance encouraging private enterprise and government involvement.

• The Government will act toward the full integration of minorities in Israel into every area. Special efforts will be made for the advancement of minorities who have joined their fate with that of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and who have served in the security forces.
• The Government will act to enlarge the budgets of local Arab authorities which require improved basic infrastructures, in an effort to reduce gaps between them and other communities.
• Efforts will be made to absorb minority academics, particularly those who have completed military duties in the service of the State, in public institutions, in order to continue their participation in public and official responsibility for the State they served in the security services.

For most of the 62 years since its establishment, the State of Israel has remained an oasis of democracy and pluralism in a region noted for its authoritarian regimes. Although some of these regimes offer varying degrees of rights to their citizens, none come close to the western democratic values and liberties which characterize Israeli society.

In several Arab countries and Iran, minorities are suppressed. In stark contrast, minorities in Israel are entitled to equal rights under the law and have judicial recourse to addressing their grievances when problems arise. These same minorities are represented in the Israeli Knesset.

The judiciary, as mentioned above,  also plays an important role in promoting equality in Israeli society. The courts accept applications and cases from all petitioners, independent of the petitioner's nationality, religion or race. Any perception of discrimination or wrongful conduct in this area is also carefully investigated by the relevant Israeli bodies and care is taken not to repeat any mistakes that may have been made.

General info and Statistics:

Some 1.8 million people, comprising some 24 percent of Israel's population, are non-Jews. Although defined collectively as Arab citizens of Israel, they include a number of different, primarily Arabic-speaking, groups, each with distinct characteristics.

Israel officially recognizes 15 distinct religious groups. Each religious community regulates its own rules about marriage, divorce and wills.

Muslim Arabs, over 1.2 million people, most of whom are Sunni.

Bedouin Arabs, also Muslim (estimated at approximately 250,000), the Bedouin are currently in transition from a tribal social framework to a permanently settled society and are gradually entering Israel's labor force.

Christian Arabs, some 123,000. Although many denominations are nominally represented, the majority are affiliated with the Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. Christians in Israel make up 2.1 percent of the population and increased from 34,000 in 1948 to 154,000 in 2009. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country in which the Christian population has grown in the last half century.

The Druze, some 122,000 Arabic-speakers, constitute a separate cultural, social, and religious community.

The Circassians, comprising some 4,000 people, are Sunni Muslims, although they share neither the Arab origin nor the cultural background of the larger Islamic community.

The Israeli city of Haifa is home to the Baha’i world headquarters. The Baha’i faith is an independent religion that arose in Persia in the mid-19th century.

Israel's Arab community constitutes mainly a working-class sector in a middle-class society. Essentially non-assimilating, the community's distinct identity is facilitated through the use of Arabic, Israel's second official language.

While customs of the past are still part of daily life, a gradual weakening of tribal and patriarchal authority, the effects of compulsory education and participation in Israel's democratic process are rapidly affecting traditional outlooks and lifestyles. Concurrently the status of Israeli Arab women has been significantly liberalized by legislation stipulating equal rights for women and prohibition of polygamy and child marriage.

The political involvement of the Arab sector is manifested in national and municipal elections. Arab citizens run the political and administrative affairs of their own municipalities and represent Arab interests through their elected representatives in the Knesset.

Since Israel's establishment (1948), Arab citizens have been exempted from compulsory service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). At the same time, volunteer military service is encouraged, with some choosing this option every year. Since 1957, at the request of their community leaders, IDF service has been mandatory for Druze and Circassian men, while the number of Bedouin joining the career army voluntarily increases steadily.

They have adopted Hebrew as a second language and Israeli culture as an extra layer in their lives. At the same time, they strive to attain a higher degree of participation in national life, greater integration into the economy and more benefits for their own towns and villages.

Thus, Israel is not a meltingpot society, but rather more of a mosaic made up of different population groups coexisting in the framework of a democratic state.

Examples and Highlights:

The Arab sector has become more politically prominent in recent years. For the first time, an Arab Justice was appointed to the Supreme Court and Arab deputy ministers have served in Israel's Government. Arab citizens serve in Israel's Foreign Service as diplomats and ambassadors on behalf of the country.

As in the country's other ethnic sectors, Arab cultural activities and preservation of the Arab cultural heritage are encouraged by various government and voluntary agencies that offer assistance, ranging from grants to writers and artists to providing support for museums and cultural centers.

Arab-Israelis are the largest minority group in Israel and are active in all facets of Israeli life.

• Arab-Israelis have won as many as 12 of the 120 Knesset seats in a single election.
• Israel’s first Muslim consul-general served in Atlanta from 1987-1990, its first Muslim ambassador was appointed to Finland in 1995 and its first Druze ambassador was appointed to Vietnam in 1999.
• In 1992, Emile Habibi, author and former Knesset member, was awarded the Israel prize for Arabic literature.
• In 2004, Bnei Sakhnin became the first Arab-Israeli soccer team to win the State Cup.
• In January 2008, Israel honored 96-year-old Sheik Abu Muamar with a lifetime achievement award for his commitment to Israel, his military service, and his leadership in the Bedouin community, in which he was called the “sheik of all sheiks.”
• Wild Badir: an Israeli football star is the captain of Hapoel Tel Aviv team (Arab).
• Mira Awad: an actress, singer, songwriter, represented Israel at the 2009 Eurovision song contest (Arab).
• Rana Raslan: former Miss Israel (Arab).
• Majalli Wahabi: a former Deputy speaker of the Knesset. Acting President of Israel in February 2007 (Druze).
• Reda Mansour: Israeli historian, poet and former Ambassador to Ecuador (Druze).
• Salim Joubran: Israeli Supreme Court Justice (Arab).