Abstract

Palestinians within Israel comprise 17% of the population, and this percentage is increasing rapidly. With growing demographic weight and rising political awareness, their role in politics is becoming increasingly important, especially in terms of shaping Israeli democracy and identity, and influencing Israeli-Palestinian relations and regional political dynamics. Nevertheless, recent years have seen a decrease in Palestinian participation in Israeli democratic institutions, such as voting in parliamentary elections. Recent times have also seen increasing tension between Israel's Arab and Jewish communities. This grant will allow MADA Al-Carmel (the Arab Center for Applied Social Research) to undertake a 36-month investigation of the reasons why Palestinians in Israel seem unable to wield effective political influence, particularly on issues that affect their communities. The research will involve a comparative analysis of Palestinian political participation in Israel and political participation of other national minority groups around the world. Based on its research findings, MADA will propose strategies for increasing Palestinian impact on democratic governance within Israel and on peaceful relations between Israelis and Palestinians.

Recipient Institution(s)