The paper will examine the link among nationalism, ethnicity and citizenship in Israel, and how the problem of citizenship, in particular, is connected with the ongoing conflict over the ethnically diverse area of Palestine. A peculiar situation concerning citizenship is evident in the history of the area, both in terms of acquisition (for example in the model of the Law of Return) and loss (for the history of Palestinians’ exodus). Today, citizenship is also a matter linked to the structure of the Jewish state/democracy (and the controversial “ethnic preference” associated to it), and to the problem of the “disputed land”, related to the dynamics of incorporation/expulsion of the Territories into/from Israel proper. The result is a highly ambiguous status for the Arabs living on both sides of the 1967 border. The paper will present the discussion about concepts like “Jewish democratic state” and “occupation”, as a debate concerning citizenship; from this point of view, the implications of the two main alternatives presented – reversible/irreversible integration between Israel and the Territories – are evident. The axis of this debate is structured around two fundamental elements: land (as basic condition to identify a state and its citizenship policy) and demography (introduced by the ethnic choice implicit in the concept of Jewish state). The conclusion of the paper is that concepts and horizons of citizenship in the area are intimately connected with the criteria of “(which) people per square kilometre”. In other words, any discussion about citizenship in Israel/Palestine depends on the preliminary identification of what is Israel – and what is outside it – both territorially and legally. The main limit of the flourishing debate about Jewish state, democracy, conflict resolution and Palestinian state-building, is that it often bypasses a realistic definition of territorial, political and economic boundaries. Without an arduous work to identify the basic elements of the process, and their reciprocal relations, any analysis risks to miss the target completely.
Citizenship and Conflict in Israel/Palestine: Basic Elements for an Analysis
ALLEGRA, Marco
2008-01-01
Abstract
The paper will examine the link among nationalism, ethnicity and citizenship in Israel, and how the problem of citizenship, in particular, is connected with the ongoing conflict over the ethnically diverse area of Palestine. A peculiar situation concerning citizenship is evident in the history of the area, both in terms of acquisition (for example in the model of the Law of Return) and loss (for the history of Palestinians’ exodus). Today, citizenship is also a matter linked to the structure of the Jewish state/democracy (and the controversial “ethnic preference” associated to it), and to the problem of the “disputed land”, related to the dynamics of incorporation/expulsion of the Territories into/from Israel proper. The result is a highly ambiguous status for the Arabs living on both sides of the 1967 border. The paper will present the discussion about concepts like “Jewish democratic state” and “occupation”, as a debate concerning citizenship; from this point of view, the implications of the two main alternatives presented – reversible/irreversible integration between Israel and the Territories – are evident. The axis of this debate is structured around two fundamental elements: land (as basic condition to identify a state and its citizenship policy) and demography (introduced by the ethnic choice implicit in the concept of Jewish state). The conclusion of the paper is that concepts and horizons of citizenship in the area are intimately connected with the criteria of “(which) people per square kilometre”. In other words, any discussion about citizenship in Israel/Palestine depends on the preliminary identification of what is Israel – and what is outside it – both territorially and legally. The main limit of the flourishing debate about Jewish state, democracy, conflict resolution and Palestinian state-building, is that it often bypasses a realistic definition of territorial, political and economic boundaries. Without an arduous work to identify the basic elements of the process, and their reciprocal relations, any analysis risks to miss the target completely.
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