Introduction

Abstract

This book analyzes the reasons behind the meager representation of Palestinian women in Israeli politics. During the past sixty years, only one Arab woman has headed a local council (in the 1970s), two have become Knesset members (in 1999 and 2006), and seventeen women have become local council members. What does the political status of Palestinian women in Israel indicate about Israel's “democratic” nature? To what extent have Palestinian women progressed in the political arena since 1948? The book further examines how state political culture, patriarchal relations, and national conflict have shaped the possibility for women's participation; and how, for Palestinian women, Israeli democracy has failed even on its own terms. State policy has had complex and contradictory implications for the Arab national minority as a whole and for Arab women in particular. This book is based on qualitative, in-depth, extensive interviews with more than fifty-five Palestinian women activists.