IMEU | Institute for Middle East Understanding IMEU Institute for Middle East Understanding

Palestinian Citizens of Israel

Palestinian Citizens of Israel

During Israel’s establishment (1947-49), approximately 750,000 Palestinians fled their homes and land in fear or were driven out. After the war, around 150,000 Palestinians remained inside of what became Israel’s internationally recognized borders. Today, there are approximately 1.6 million Palestinian citizens of Israel, comprising about 20% of the total Israeli population. Though Palestinian citizens of Israel can vote and participate in political life, they face a web of institutionalized discrimination and exclusion.

I’m an Israeli Arab Whose Bike Was Stolen. Guess What Happened When I Called the Police
Michael Mansour, Haaretz

I’m an Israeli Arab Whose Bike Was Stolen. Guess What Happened When I Called the Police

“You’re suspected of stealing a motorcycle,” one of the men told me as he beat me. Every time I tried to explain that I was the owner of the bike and that I was the one who had called the police, he would say, “Shut your mouth. I’ll screw you. Not a word!” As he continued to hit me, referring to me constantly as “Mohammed,” two other men began kicking me from the sidelines.

on August 18, 2017
Global Opinions Why Can’t Israel Accept Other Religions and Cultures in the Holy Land?
Daoud Kuttab, Washington Post

Global Opinions Why Can’t Israel Accept Other Religions and Cultures in the Holy Land?

As a young boy growing up in Bethlehem, I was often excited when our family had company. My dad, a Christian clergyman, loved to take us and the guests to Hebron. Dad would take us to the Cave of the Machpela, situated within the Ibrahimi Mosque, where Abraham and his family are buried and would tell the story of how Abraham obeyed God’s calling even when it came to the request to sacrifice his own son.

on July 12, 2017
50 Years of Israeli Military Rule, 70 Years of Palestinian Dispossession Fact Sheets
IMEU

50 Years of Israeli Military Rule, 70 Years of Palestinian Dispossession

The policies of discrimination and displacement that Israel has implemented against Palestinians in the lands it has military occupied since the 1967 war are part of a larger program of dispossession of Palestinians dating to Israel’s establishment in 1948 and encompassing Palestinians citizens of Israel as well.

on June 8, 2017
The Legal Status of Jerusalem Fact Sheets
IMEU

The Legal Status of Jerusalem

Under international law, East Jerusalem (including the Old City and its holy sites) are not legally part of Israel. Since Israel's establishment in 1948, the US and international community have refused to recognize the sovereignty of any country to any part of Jerusalem in the absence of a permanent Arab-Israeli peace agreement.

on May 17, 2017
UN Agency Head Resigns, Stands by Israel ‘Apartheid’ Report
Zeina Karam, AP

UN Agency Head Resigns, Stands by Israel ‘Apartheid’ Report

The head of a United Nations agency that promotes development in Arab countries resigned Friday after refusing to withdraw a controversial report concluding that Israel has established an "apartheid regime" that discriminates against Palestinians.

on March 17, 2017
Sanctioning Land Expropriation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights

Sanctioning Land Expropriation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

On 6 February 2017, the Israeli Knesset (legislature) passed a law permitting the expropriation of housing built on private Palestinian land in the Occupied Territories. Under the legislation, referred to herein as the ‘Expropriation Law’ (but also described as the ‘Regularisation Law’ or simply the ‘Theft Law’) Palestinians from whom land was taken would have no right to claim it back ‘until there is a diplomatic resolution of the status of the territories.’

on March 3, 2017
Trump & Netanyahu: Walls, Division & Land Theft Videos
IMEU

Trump & Netanyahu: Walls, Division & Land Theft

Both Trump and Netanyahu promote walls that steal land and cut families off from one another. As protesters chant, "From Palestine to Mexico, All the Walls Have Got to Go," check out our video and see how these walls impact millions of lives.

on February 14, 2017
Umm al-Hiran Testimonies
Nic, EAPPI

Umm al-Hiran

The people of Umm al-Hiran are Bedouins, Palestinian citizens of Israel. The new town of Hiran is meant to be a Jewish community. Long answer short, this man and his family face demolition and relocation because they are not Jewish.

on January 24, 2017
Why Is Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem Such a Big Deal? Videos
IMEU

Why Is Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem Such a Big Deal?

Donald Trump has pledged to do something no other U.S. president has done: move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. This would be unprecedented support for Israeli occupation and theft of Palestinian land.

on January 17, 2017