At the end of 2008 the Arab citizens of Israel (not including the residents of east Jerusalem) numbered more than 1.2 million, out of a total of about seven million citizens in the state. From 1948 and to this day many changes in diverse areas of their lives have taken place. Despite these changes and despite the large proportion of Arab citizens in Israel, they are still a distressed population, and the large gaps between them and the Jewish citizens remain.
Arab Society in Israel (2) sheds light on the unique complexity of the Arab population in Israel and attempts to paint a clearer and more reliable picture of the reality of their lives. The book, by Arab researchers in the humanities and the social sciences, headed by historian Adel Manna, and with a team of statisticians headed by Ramsis Gera, deals with central issues in the life of this population: demographics, work, standard of living, education and higher education, health care, and local government. The first part of the book contains detailed statistical tables and updated data; a comparison between these data and the data presented in the first volume of the series makes it possible to understand the processes and changes in this society. The second part of the book has five papers that broaden the canvas and provide a social, economic, and political context for the statistical data.
Arab Society in Israel (2): Population, Society, Economy, like the preceding volume in the series, is a research tool of the highest order. It is intended for researchers of Arab society in Israel and also for policy-makers, media professionals, students, and all who seek greater knowledge of Arab society in Israel.