Israeli Arabs seek right to return to villages abandoned in 1948 - Haaretz - Israel News

Israeli Arabs seek right to return to villages abandoned in 1948 - Haaretz - Israel News: "According to a position paper written by Mossawa - the Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel and presented in a conference in Nazareth on Friday, Israeli Arabs want the right to return to villages abandoned in 1948, educational autonomy and changes to the Israeli flag and national anthem.

The paper, written in close coordination with the Israel Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, was presented as part of the week-long Second Annual Days of Mossawa Festival and Nazareth Film Festival, which ended Saturday.

'Our goal is to achieve a historic compromise with the Jewish community in Israel,' Mossawa Center director Jafar Farah told the conference. 'The move by refugees of 1948 to their villages will not change the demographic balance or endanger the Jews. Unlike the refugees in Arab states, we are [already] here,' Farah said. 'The internal refugees [residents forced to leave their villages in 1948 who moved to other Arab communities within Israel] represent about one-fourth of the Arab population in Israel today.'" Read complete post here.