ABSTRACT
Geographically, Israel is part of the Middle East. Politically, economically, educationally, and culturally it is in line with modern, Western, industrial countries. The establishment of Israel as a democratic Jewish nation state, the Declaration of Independence promising full social and political equality to all its citizens, and the Israeli “Law of Return” granting citizenship to almost every Jew created many inner tensions. Thus, Arabs and Druzes have been citizens participating in democratic life but have not had equal access to educational and economic resources.
