[PDF] The Subordinate Integration of Palestinian Arabs into Israeli Socie

216843

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

Los Angeles

Both Arab and Israeli:

The Subordinate Integration of Palestinian Arabs into Israeli Society, 1948-1967 A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History by

Arnon Yehuda Degani

2018

© Copyright by

Arnon Yehuda Degani

2018
ii

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION

Both Arab and Israeli:

The Subordinate Integration of Palestinian Citizens into Israeli Society, 1948-1967 by

Arnon Yehuda Degani

Doctor of Philosophy in History

University of California, Los Angeles, 2018

Professor David N. Myers, Co-Chair

Professor Gershon Shafir, Co-Chair

The dissertation offers new insights into the daily life, political status, and worldviews of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel between 1948 and 1967. During this period, the state endowed this community with nominal citizenship while at the same time subjecting it to martial law and a wide array of discriminatory policies. My work constitutes a careful reconstruction of the daily interactions between the Palestinian Arab citizens and Israeli state organs in four realms: movement restrictions, labor unionism, health care, and political expression. The dissertation focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian encounter at the military checkpoint, in the examination iii room, in the everyday tasks of the Palestinian Histadrut member, and in the worldview of the pro-

Nasser café patron.

Along with newly declassified and previously inaccessible Israeli archival material, the dissertation also makes use of oral history interviews, private memoirs, and the printed press. In particular, this study disrupts the current scholarly and public discussions on the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel, which pit one claim against another: either the State of Israel has consistently oppressed and persecuted the Palestinians under its control, or it has overall functioned as a model

democracy. In contrast, this research concludes that until 1967, Israeli officials of different ranks

largely targeted Palestinians Arab citizens for absorption into the Israeli body politic through a protracted project of subordinate integration. The Palestinians Arabs for their part recognized the state by engaging in civic struggles premised on their citizenship and in the hopes of being treated as equals. The net effect was that the Palestinian Arab Arab-Israeli Analytically, the dissertation situates the Israeli-Palestinian case in the context of colonial and settler-colonial histories. The dissertation demonstrates how the historical pattern of Palestinian Arab subordinate integration into Israeli society differs from the experiences of other Arab societies subject to a European colonial power. The Jewish-Palestinian relationship in Israel during the years 1948-1967 is more comparable to settler-colonial patterns, such as the ones in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In other words, I contend that the integration

of Palestinians into Israeli society is a manifestation of a settler-colonial assimilationist agenda.

iv The dissertation of Arnon Yehuda Degani is approved

Caroline Cole Ford

Suszanne E Slyomovics

Gershon Shafir, Committee Co-Chair

David N. Myers, Committee Co-Chair

University of California, Los Angeles

2018
v

Table of Content

List of Figures and Tables vi

List of Abbreviations vii

Note on Transliterations and Translations viii

Acknowledgments ix

Vita xii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: The Permit Regime 34

Chapter 2: The Histadrut: The Zionist Settler

Spearhead

77

Chapter 3: From Doctors to Clinics: The

Israeli Health System

122

Chapter 4: Heart and Minds 176

Conclusion and Epilogue 227

Bibliography 238

vi

List of Figures Page

Figure 1: Map of Military Government North, 30 September 1952 75 Figure 2: Map of Military Government North, 21 February 1954 76

Figure 3: Letter from Elias Saba 121

Figure 4: ibe

175

Figure 5: 175

Figure 6: The road from Sumei to Kisra 175

Figure 7: Dr. Ben-Assa with a Bedouin. 175

Figure 8: Dr. Ben-Assa vaccinating a small child in a Bedouin tent 175

Figure 9: Al-ArdDavar 226

List of Tables Page

Table 1: Exit Permits Issued by Military Government Negev 57 vii

List of Abbreviations

AWC -Ummal al-Arab)

GSS General Security Service (Sherut Bitahon Klali) HSM - MAKI Communist Party of Israel (ha-Miflaga ha-Komunistit ha-it)

MAPAI The Land of IsrPoale Erets-)

MAPAM The Uniteha-Po ha-)

MG The Military Government

MK Member of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament

MoD Ministry of Defense

MoE Ministry of Education

MoH Ministry of Health

MoL Ministry of Labor

PLL/ILL Ummal Filastin/I, Brit Po

Erets-/)

viii

Note on Transliterations and Translations

When transliterating Arabic I follow the guidelines of the International Journal of Middle East

Studies, and for Hebrew,

GLDFULWLFDOPDUNVIRUERWKODQJXDJHV7KHV\PERO

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

Los Angeles

Both Arab and Israeli:

The Subordinate Integration of Palestinian Arabs into Israeli Society, 1948-1967 A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History by

Arnon Yehuda Degani

2018

© Copyright by

Arnon Yehuda Degani

2018
ii

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION

Both Arab and Israeli:

The Subordinate Integration of Palestinian Citizens into Israeli Society, 1948-1967 by

Arnon Yehuda Degani

Doctor of Philosophy in History

University of California, Los Angeles, 2018

Professor David N. Myers, Co-Chair

Professor Gershon Shafir, Co-Chair

The dissertation offers new insights into the daily life, political status, and worldviews of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel between 1948 and 1967. During this period, the state endowed this community with nominal citizenship while at the same time subjecting it to martial law and a wide array of discriminatory policies. My work constitutes a careful reconstruction of the daily interactions between the Palestinian Arab citizens and Israeli state organs in four realms: movement restrictions, labor unionism, health care, and political expression. The dissertation focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian encounter at the military checkpoint, in the examination iii room, in the everyday tasks of the Palestinian Histadrut member, and in the worldview of the pro-

Nasser café patron.

Along with newly declassified and previously inaccessible Israeli archival material, the dissertation also makes use of oral history interviews, private memoirs, and the printed press. In particular, this study disrupts the current scholarly and public discussions on the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel, which pit one claim against another: either the State of Israel has consistently oppressed and persecuted the Palestinians under its control, or it has overall functioned as a model

democracy. In contrast, this research concludes that until 1967, Israeli officials of different ranks

largely targeted Palestinians Arab citizens for absorption into the Israeli body politic through a protracted project of subordinate integration. The Palestinians Arabs for their part recognized the state by engaging in civic struggles premised on their citizenship and in the hopes of being treated as equals. The net effect was that the Palestinian Arab Arab-Israeli Analytically, the dissertation situates the Israeli-Palestinian case in the context of colonial and settler-colonial histories. The dissertation demonstrates how the historical pattern of Palestinian Arab subordinate integration into Israeli society differs from the experiences of other Arab societies subject to a European colonial power. The Jewish-Palestinian relationship in Israel during the years 1948-1967 is more comparable to settler-colonial patterns, such as the ones in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In other words, I contend that the integration

of Palestinians into Israeli society is a manifestation of a settler-colonial assimilationist agenda.

iv The dissertation of Arnon Yehuda Degani is approved

Caroline Cole Ford

Suszanne E Slyomovics

Gershon Shafir, Committee Co-Chair

David N. Myers, Committee Co-Chair

University of California, Los Angeles

2018
v

Table of Content

List of Figures and Tables vi

List of Abbreviations vii

Note on Transliterations and Translations viii

Acknowledgments ix

Vita xii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: The Permit Regime 34

Chapter 2: The Histadrut: The Zionist Settler

Spearhead

77

Chapter 3: From Doctors to Clinics: The

Israeli Health System

122

Chapter 4: Heart and Minds 176

Conclusion and Epilogue 227

Bibliography 238

vi

List of Figures Page

Figure 1: Map of Military Government North, 30 September 1952 75 Figure 2: Map of Military Government North, 21 February 1954 76

Figure 3: Letter from Elias Saba 121

Figure 4: ibe

175

Figure 5: 175

Figure 6: The road from Sumei to Kisra 175

Figure 7: Dr. Ben-Assa with a Bedouin. 175

Figure 8: Dr. Ben-Assa vaccinating a small child in a Bedouin tent 175

Figure 9: Al-ArdDavar 226

List of Tables Page

Table 1: Exit Permits Issued by Military Government Negev 57 vii

List of Abbreviations

AWC -Ummal al-Arab)

GSS General Security Service (Sherut Bitahon Klali) HSM - MAKI Communist Party of Israel (ha-Miflaga ha-Komunistit ha-it)

MAPAI The Land of IsrPoale Erets-)

MAPAM The Uniteha-Po ha-)

MG The Military Government

MK Member of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament

MoD Ministry of Defense

MoE Ministry of Education

MoH Ministry of Health

MoL Ministry of Labor

PLL/ILL Ummal Filastin/I, Brit Po

Erets-/)

viii

Note on Transliterations and Translations

When transliterating Arabic I follow the guidelines of the International Journal of Middle East

Studies, and for Hebrew,

GLDFULWLFDOPDUNVIRUERWKODQJXDJHV7KHV\PERO