• The phenomenon of ethnic civil society is universal. For many minorities around the globe,

ethnic civil society is becoming an alternative form of mobilization, alongside or instead of use

of violence, parliamentary politics, and other forms of activism. The past two decades have

witnessed a dramatic development of associational life within the Arab community in Israel as

the number of formally registered Arab NGOs has risen from 41 in the early 1980s to nearly

2,700 by the year 2000.

• At the end of 2007, approximately 2,760 Israeli Arab non-governmental organizations and

associations were registered, a quarter of the amount in the Jewish sector. More than half of

them were located and based in the Northern District.1

• Concurrently, more than 150 Jewish-Arab organizations aimed at promoting coexistence and

mutual understating between Israeli Jews and Arabs were listed as members of the

Coexistence Network in Israel. Some prominent Jewish-Arab organizations are: TAFI - The

Abraham Fund Initiatives, CAF - Civil Accord Forum, and Sikkuy - The Association for the

Advancement of Civic Equality in Israel.

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