ABSTRACT
Understanding the democratization process, the tensions emanating from the social differences between the new majority and the indigenous minority, and the contradictions of the political framework in which democratization is occurring will shed light on the paradoxes that characterize democratization in the Third World-the Arab world in particular-and in conflict situations. Such an understanding will also help us develop hypotheses on the implications of the democratization of this community for future Israeli-Palestinian interactions. The Arabs in Israel, who constitute a significant segment of the Palestinian people, are loyal to larger Palestinian goals and aspirations and at the same time are Israeli citizens with many democratic tools available to them. While they are keeping a low profile in the ongoing process of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, they might also have the potential to change the shape of future political arrangements between the two groups if they choose to articulate and express their political objectives democratically.
