# First Arab joins Israeli cabinet **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 28, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arab-joins-israeli-cabinet/389840 "2007-01-28T16:15:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arab-joins-israeli-cabinet/389840/1 "2007-01-28T16:15:27Z")
[First Arab joins Israeli cabinet](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6307673.stm) > [@](#): > > The Israel government has voted to appoint an Arab Muslim to the cabinet - for the first time in the history of the Jewish state. 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. > [@](#): > > Israeli Arabs have long complained of discrimination, but the Israeli government points out that they have more rights than Arabs elsewhere in the Middle East, the BBC’s Jon Leyne in Jerusalem says. 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? ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arab-joins-israeli-cabinet/389840/2 "2007-01-28T21:33:48Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] [First Arab joins Israeli cabinet](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6307673.stm) 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? [/QUOTE] They’re living in the most liberal democracy of the entire region, which gives them full legal and voting rights. Some of those Arabs will be Druze or Christian I bet. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arab-joins-israeli-cabinet/389840/3 "2007-01-28T22:59:44Z")
There have been many Arabs in the Israeli Parliament over the years, but not, until now, in the cabinet. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arab-joins-israeli-cabinet/389840/4 "2007-01-29T08:28:17Z")
[QUOTE=Ryan\_Liam] Some of those Arabs will be Druze or Christian I bet. [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arab-joins-israeli-cabinet/389840/5 "2007-01-29T11:04:14Z")
But will Prager complain that he is un-Israeli if he swears in on Koran? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arab-joins-israeli-cabinet/389840/6 "2007-01-29T12:00:13Z")
[QUOTE=Kyla] First off, like **hajario** says, there have been Arabs in the Knesset for ages. That’s not unusual. [/quote] 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. > [@](#): > > Second, Druze aren’t considered Arabs in Israel. They’re just Druze. They serve in the Israeli army, which Arabs don’t. Correct. > [@](#): > > 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. 1. Each individual is an individual – some are easier to get along with, some more difficult. 2. 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. 3. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arab-joins-israeli-cabinet/389840/7 "2007-01-29T13:17:01Z")
[QUOTE=Kyla] First off, like **hajario** says, there have been Arabs in the Knesset for ages. That’s not unusual. [/QUOTE] Poor wording on my part. I meant representatives in the cabinet.