ABSTRACT
The elections held in Israel in January 2003 were the first Knesset elections to be conducted after the October 2000 demonstrations of the Arab Palestinian minority. Relations between Israel and its Palestinian citizens have been undergoing a serious change since these demonstrations which came after the second Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories started in September 2000. We maintain that during this period, a new hegemony has been taking shape in Israel that is redrawing the boundaries of citizenship for the Palestinian minority (Rouhana and Sultany, 2003). In addition, there is a growing sense among many in the Arab minority that the boundaries of citizenship are becoming narrower and that the foundations of their citizenship are growing weaker (Rouhana, 2001; Yiftachel, 2002). Furthermore, their potential influence on Israel’s internal and external policies, even policies regarding then-own community, has always been minimal. If so, how shall we understand their participation in Israeli parliamentary election?
