Changes in the Distribution of Arabs in Mixed Jewish-Arab Cities in Israel

Abstract

This paper examines changes in the spatial distribution of Arabs in three mixed cities during the 1960s. The mixed city is the only place where Jews and Arabs live together in a distinctive geographical territory-the Arab enclave. The origin of the process of was one of forced integration when soon after Israel's 1948 War of Independence, Jewish new immigrants occupied abandoned Arab homes. It is argued that the Arab enclave is a unique type of ghetto. It exhibits a combination of a voluntary, partially discriminatory, stable ghetto. Moreover, although it is a minority group ghetto, it differs from other such entities in the sense that Arabs are neither rural nor foreign immigrants, but long-time residents of their city.