Arab Citizens of Israel: How Far Have They Come?

A history of the Arab-Israeli minority from the first Aliyah in 1882 through the Gaza War of 2023.

Arab Citizens of Israel challenges narratives that portray Israel as a settler-colonial apartheid state defined by entrenched discrimination against its Arab minority. To correct this distorted image, Professor Robert Cherry traces Jewish–Arab relations from the pre-Mandate period through Israel’s early years, when Arab citizens lived under military rule and faced discrimination and land confiscations. He examines the rebuilding of Arab political movements, the setbacks caused by the collapse of the Oslo Accords and the second intifada, and the resulting doubts about peace.

Cherry highlights often-overlooked progress, showing how affirmative action, increased investment, and expanding opportunities—instituted mainly by conservative Israeli governments—have enabled Arab citizens to thrive as professionals, innovators, and leaders. Through this authoritative fact-based account of Arab life in Israel, Cherry offers essential context for imagining a more constructive future.

“Scrupulous, objective, and critical of Israeli policy where merited, [Cherry] brings clarity to a topic desperately in need of sober analysis. Supporters and critics alike will emerge equally corrected and enlightened.”
—Jonathan Karp, professor of Jewish history at SUNY-Binghamton and author of The Politics of Jewish Commerce

“…an in-depth view of the development of the Arab Israeli identity and national thoughts…. [that] creates a more profound understanding of the difference between Arabs that are Israeli citizens and Arab Palestinians.”
—Dr. iur. Avraham Weber, LL.M, LL.M, adjunct assistant professor at Reichmann University in Tel Aviv and a longtime member of the Israeli Bar Association civil rights committee