Israeli Nationality vs. Jewish Nationality The end of military rule in 1966 did not end the legal and institutional discrimination towards Palestinian citizens of Israel.121 In order to maintain a system of oppression and exploitation, there are more than 50 Israeli laws that discriminate against Palestinian citizens of Israel or privilege Jewish citizens affecting all areas of life, including Palestinian citizens’ rights to political participation, access to land, education, state budget resources and criminal procedures.122 The pairing of “Jewish” with “democratic” elements in Israel’s self-definition codifies discrimination against non-Jewish citizens and impedes the realization of full equality.123 The Jewish character of the state is defined by three inter-related components: (1) that Jews form the majority of the state; (2) that Jews are entitled to preferential treatment; and (3) that a reciprocal relationship exists between the state and Jews outside of Israel.124 Interview with Wadi, Haifa125 I am a Palestinian citizen of Israel. I was born in Haifa, although both my grandparents and parents were from the destroyed village of Kofur Bir’im, from which they were forcibly expelled in 1948. Since I was a little child my grandparents always told me stories about our village, the lands, the properties that they sadly lost, how they were forcibly displaced and about the effects of the expulsion that they still carry until these a days.I began to be aware of, and understand, the racial discrimination towards us, Palestinian citizens of Israel, since I was a little boy. When any argument erupted while playing in the courtyard, the Israeli Jewish kids would say: “’Aravim Miluchlachim,” which means ‘dirty Arabs’ or sometimes they would shout: “go to Gaza and the West-Bank.” There was always the feeling of “us versus them” and that we were different from each other. Daily Life Daily life, even in the Israeli-called ethnically-mixed cities like Haifa, is segregated in practice. “We” go to Palestinian schools, we buy goods from Palestinian shops and our friends are mostly, if not only, Palestinians. Our neighborhoods can be described as a kind of ghetto. Most contact with Jewish-Israelis occurs in public places and institutions such as hospitals, governmental offices, etc. 121 Pax Christi International, “The Status of Palestinian Citizens of Israel, Written Statement for the UN Human Rights Commission,” 2004, http://electronicintifada.net/content/status-palestinian-citizensisrael/341. 122 Adalah, “Discriminatory Laws Database. 123 ”Adalah, The Inequality Report: The Palestinian Arab Minority in Israel (Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, 2011), http://adalah.org/upfiles/2011/Adalah_The_Inequality_ Report_March_2011.pdf. 124 Ben Shalom v. Central Election Committee, P.D. (HC 1988). 125 Wadi’ Ghazi (29), Haifa, interview by BADIL, November 2013. 48