Arabs+in+Israel+and+their+lives

Anna Walley

__The Arabs of Palestine: 1948__


 * ARABS IN ISRAEL AND THEIR LIVES: **

May 1948 · To Palestinian Arabs, Palestine ceases to exist · ¾ of land in Palestine became a part of Israel o 60% of land owned by Palestinian Arabs o ¼ of all buildings in Israel once belonged to Arabs · West Bank is absorbed by Kingdom of Transjordan · Jerusalem is a divided city · ½ of Arab population à ** refugees ** à Arab community destroyed · Palestinian intellectuals, businessmen, and professionals fled to Beirut, Demascus, and Amman · Non-skilled Palestinians became ** displaced persons **and went to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine ** refugee camps ** o Conditions à little sanitation, no sewage, basic medial facilities; places of desperation, degradation, insecurity o Camps organized by origin of refugees o Palestinians Arabs did not cooperate with UNRWA, thus furthering their stay at the camps o Education provided by UNRWA, but there was little available work o Jordan à Palestinians were able to become citizens of the Hashemite Kingdom § Only Arab country to extend citizenship to Palestinian Arabs § Gained full political rights, were able to enter business and government, but were still excluded from more sensitive areas o Syria à Palestinians were able to join the army, enter civil service, and acquired most rights (excluding citizenship) o Lebanon à Arabs were rejected and still have no civil rights and most professions are forbidden to them § In the camps, unemployment is 40% o Many Palestinian Arabs also fled to Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf counties § Some prospered, but few were granted nationality · Side note: Dynamics of Palestinian diaspora over 40 years o Sons and daughters of illiterate subsistence peasants who became refugees but obtained education, were able to work their way up into the middle class § However, few have achieved nationality in their new “homes” · Israel passes Nationality Law of 1951 o Gave Arabs the right to vote, run for office, and equal rights as Jews, (on paper) o Arab women in Israel were the first Arab women anywhere to be given the right to vote · Defense Emergency Regulations o Jewish military governors had extensive power over the Palestinian Arabs o Arabs could be arrested and detained without reason o Villages and land could be expropriated, then declared “security zones” o Regulations were not lifted until 1966 · Discrimination in education and employment o Arabs cite history of Nazareth § Largest Arab town in Israel; it has been neglected by the Israeli government § Factories closed, little money was spent on housing despite an increasing population § During the 1950s, Arab land was expropriated to build an exclusively Jewish town on the hill overlooking Nazareth · This “Upper Nazareth” was 1/3 the population of Nazareth, but it received more assistance from the state than the Arab part of town · David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir were both hostile and reactionary toward Israeli Arabs