Because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dominates the headlines, the fact that Israel has over 1.4 million Arab-Israelis living as citizens within its borders is an all too well kept secret. The North of the country, around the Galilee is home to more than 44% of Israel’s over-all Arab population, and a vast majority of the Palestinian Muslim population. The rest of the Arab population is comprised mostly of Bedouins who live in the Negev dessert in the south.

Most are descendants of the 160,000+ Palestinians and Bedouins who remained in Israel after the 1948 war for independence ended. Although they are full Israeli citizens with the right to vote, and their own political parties, they face the daily challenge of maintaining their Arabic heritage and cultural identity in a country where they are often viewed as outsiders. The state of Israel defines itself as both a State of its citizens and a Jewish State, and it is an open and often fiercely debated question what that dislocation implies for non-Jewish citizens.