ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the status of the Arabic language in Israel and the possibility of changing its status by means of the judicial system. It draws the linguistic situation in Israel. Immigration remains a factor that exerts a major influence on the Israeli linguistic landscape. The numerous Jewish languages that flourished in the diaspora are losing ground to the dominant language of the country. The status of Arabic as an 'official language' signifies the existence of a clear and far-reaching communal right. The several languages may be used in debates and discussions in the Legislative Council and subject to any regulations to be made from time to time, in the Government offices and the Law Courts. The linguistic changes led to the imposition of a bilingual reality in the space of the Palestinian Arab minority while exempting the rest of the country and its institutions from creating such a reality in the public sphere.
