The Politics of Exclusion and Localization: The Palestinian Minority in Israel and the Oslo Accords

Abstract

What impact did the Oslo Accords have on the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel? With no avenue for expressing their views inside Israel, and with no recognition in Oslo, the minority responded by reconceptualizing its politics, campaigning for equal rights as a national indigenous minority. Oslo has led to a dual process: it has accelerated the ‘localization’ of their struggle, focusing on minority rights and justice within Israel—while simultaneously openly supporting the wider Palestinian struggle for national rights and self-determination and a two-state solution. As a reaction to the Oslo Accords, there has also been a ‘localization’ of Arab citizens’ voting patterns in favour of Arab parties, such as the Joint List, rather than the Zionist parties.