More Pali-Islamo propaganda, of course:
Arab citizens of Israel[3] or
Arab population of Israel are
Israeli citizens, whose cultural and linguistic heritage or
ethnic identity is
Arab. The majority of the Arabs in Israel are
Muslim but some are
Christian or
Druze.
[4] Many identify as
Palestinian and commonly self-designate themselves as
Palestinian citizens of Israel.
[5] The traditional
vernacular of most Arab citizens, irrespective of religion, is the
Palestinian dialect of Arabic. Most Arab citizens of Israel are functionally
bilingual, their second language being
Modern Hebrew. By
religious affiliation, most are
Muslim, particularly of the
Sunni branch of
Islam. There is a significant
Arab Christian minority from various
denominations as well as the
Druze, among other religious communities.
According to Israel's
Central Bureau of Statistics, the Arab population in 2013 was estimated at 1,658,000, representing 20.7% of the country's population.
[2] The majority of these identify themselves as Arab or
Palestinian by nationality and
Israeli by
citizenship.
[6][7][8] Many have family ties to Palestinians in the
West Bank and
Gaza Strip, as well as to
Palestinian refugees in
Jordan,
Syria, and
Lebanon.
Negev Bedouins and the
Druze tend to identify more as Israelis than other Arab citizens of Israel.
[9][10][11][12]
Most of the Arabs living in
East Jerusalem and the
Golan Heights, occupied by Israel in the
Six Day War of 1967 and later annexed. hey became permanent residents instead.
[13] They have the right to apply for citizenship, are entitled to municipal services, and have municipal voting rights.
The rights of citizens are guaranteed by a set of basic laws (Israel does not have a written constitution).[187] Although this set of laws does not explicitly include the term "right to equality", the Israeli Supreme Court has consistently interpreted "Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty"[188] and "Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation (1994)"[189] as guaranteeing equal rights for all Israeli citizens.[190]
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that "Arab Israelis are citizens of Israel with equal rights" and states that "The only legal distinction between Arab and Jewish citizens is not one of rights, but rather of civic duty. Since Israel's establishment, Arab citizens have been exempted from compulsory service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)."[191] Druze and Circassians are drafted into the Israeli army, while other Arabs may serve voluntarily; however, only a very small number of Arabs choose to volunteer for the Israeli army[192])