Mohammad Darawshe | October 26, 2020
As a part of the AGS Focus on Israel series, Professors David Schanzer and Abdullah Antepli were joined on October 26 by Mohammad Darawshe, the leading political analyst for the Israeli press, for a conversation about Israeli Arabs. Mr. Darawshe began with a history of Israeli Arabs and their position in Israel, noting that while the Israeli Constitution promised social, economic, and political equality, the question of today is what that equality looks like. He noted two pathways toward a shared society: integration and coexistence. Mr. Darawshe explained that Israeli Arabs are dealing with multiple identities and the question of whether their homeland is also their country. He explained that for a group that makes up 21% of the population of Israel, recent integration efforts have improved their representation in many sectors, including academics, medicine, engineering, and civil service.
Mr. Darawshe discussed the de facto vs. de jure discrimination against Israeli Arabs and how efforts to combat them have continued to evolve. He addressed the role of government agencies in integration, as well as the development of Arab political parties within Israel. The discussion then turned to a Q&A, where Mr. Darawshe addressed questions about the linguistic divide in the country and the possibility of social contact, dialogues on identity, and mutual interests to increase integration and social equality. Finally, he also spoke about the most recent Israeli elections and the attempts to form a coalition government, and how the questions surrounding Israeli Arabs interact with the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.