Standing tall: A look at the development of identity among palestinian citizens of Israel

The paper, based on interviews, follows something of the process by which a group of Palestinian social workers came to 'stand tall' as Palestinian citizens of Israel. The process began with their acute discomfort both with blending into Jewish Israeli society and with being singled out for exclusion or harsh treatment as Palestinians. These feelings set in motion a process of self empowerment that was marked first by resistance and protest and then by the simultaneous embracing of and reflection on their identity as Palestinian citizens of Israel. Parallels are drawn between the historical development of the identity of the Palestinian collective in Israel that has been charted in the literature and the identity development of individual Palestinians.