Good on them. According to the article Arabs make up about 20% of Israel’s population. I think that people should have representatives to represent their interests in a government.
Is it true that Israeli Arabs have more rights than Arabs elsewhere in the ME? What does ‘elsewhere’ mean? Everywhere else? Or only some places?
First off, like hajario says, there have been Arabs in the Knesset for ages. That’s not unusual.
Second, Druze aren’t considered Arabs in Israel. They’re just Druze. They serve in the Israeli army, which Arabs don’t.
Third, you seem to think that Christians are somehow “Arab lite” or something, that Israeli society considers them easier to get along with than Muslims. I don’t think this is an accurate statement, although I would be interested to see what the Israeli Dopers have to say on the topic.
There are roughly 10-15 Arab MP in each (120-member) Knesset. So, perhaps *slightly *under-represented (although I believe they comprise 15-18% of the population rather than 20%, but I’m at work so I can’t go cite-hunting right now) – but in the ball-park.
Correct.
Each individual is an individual – some are easier to get along with, some more difficult.
That said, as a very general rule of thumb, I’d say more Christian Arabs do tend to be “easy to get along with” than Muslim Arabs. Others may well disagree though; I wouldn’t call this some kind of “Common Knowledge” – just MHO.
By far a large majority of individuals in both groups are “easy to get along with” in that they really just want to make a proper living, raise their children and live their own lives without pestering anyone else and without anyone else pestering them. Just like other Israelis. Just like Americans and Europeans and Vietnamese, for that matter. The problem is with the militant minority – which exists in (relatively) significant numbers among the Muslim Arabs, and in far smaller number among the Christians.
