Task Force Activities
On June 2nd, Ra’am, the Islamic Party lead by Mansour Abbas, became the first Arab party in Israel’s history to join a governing coalition. Ra’am is one of eight parties in the ‘change bloc’ brought together by Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) to form a narrow governing coalition, which, if sworn in, will succeed Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years as Israel’s prime minister. While Ra’am’s new leadership role is certainly historical, debates are ongoing regarding whether it joining a right-wing lead government is actually what Arab citizens want or if it will lead to meaningful change.
On May 10, a series of clashes in East Jerusalem spiraled into some of the worst inter-ethnic violence between Jewish and Arab citizens in history. While violence has ebbed, heightened tensions and many questions remain.
This briefing paper provides insights into conditions within Arab society leading up to escalations, the gulf in discourse that widened between the Jewish and Arab public, and the vibrant response from civil society which jumped into action. It closes with preliminary insights into action areas ahead.
Join JxJ for its 11th annual exploration of the daily lives and challenges of Arab citizens of Israel. Featuring a screening of A Common Goal, followed by a conversation with film director Shuki Guzik and Bedouin Arab Israeli tennis player Shadi Altori.
Join us on Tuesday, June 1 at 12:00pm Eastern for a discussion with Meirav Arlosoroff, Senior Commentator for The Marker Magazine, and Mohammad Darawshe, Director of the Center for Equality and Shared Society at Givat Haviva, about the socio-economic underpinnings of recent events and implications for the field of shared society.