Civil War in Israel

  • Clashes between Arab and Jewish mobs on the streets of Israeli cities have given way to warnings from Israeli leaders that the decades-old conflict could be careening toward a civil war. 
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the scenes of arson and violence as “anarchy” and appealed for an end to “lynchings.” 
ISRAELI ARABS
  • In total, about 21% of Israel's population are Israeli Arabs - some 1.96 million people.
  • During the war that surrounded the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, hundreds of thousands of Arabs were forced from or fled their homes. 
  • Those who stayed in what became Israel, and their descendants, have been granted citizenship and are known as Israeli Arabs. 
  • About 80% of Israeli Arabs are Muslim, with the rest identifying as either Christian or Druze.
  • Most identify strongly with Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, with many calling themselves "Palestinian citizens of Israel".

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