Mossawa Center

Our Mission

The Mossawa Center, established in 1997, aims to promote the economic, social, cultural and political rights of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel and recognition of this community as a national indigenous minority with its own national, cultural and historical distinctiveness. Mossawa develops programs to promote a democratic society free of all forms of discrimination.

Our Work

• Knesset and governmental advocacy
• International advocacy in political centers of power
• International grassroots advocacy
• Economic research and state budget analysis
• Community organizing
• Arab NGO capacity and network building
• Youth engagement
• Cross-community engagement
• Cross-border collaboration with Palestinians in the OPT
• Media advocacy

Our Community

In 1948, roughly 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their lands. Those who managed to remain now constitute the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel. The approximately 1.6 million Palestinian Arab citizens in Israel comprise 20% of the population and are made up of Muslim, Christian and Druze communities. The community is divided between the Galilee in the North, the Triangle in the Center, the Naqab (Negev) in the South, and mixed cities, including Haifa, Akka, Jaffa, Lod and Ramle. Despite their status as citizens, the state of Israel has consistently and systematically discriminated against the Arab community since its founding. This discrimination manifests itself in many aspects of daily life. The Arab community suffers from land confiscation and inequitable administration, home demolitions, systematic attacks on their civil rights, and racial incitement. Additionally, as a result of discrimination in state budgeting, over 50% of Arab citizens live in poverty, compared to less than 20% of the Jewish population.