As a Jewish state, Israel has maintained an uneasy relationship with its 1.2 million Arab residents, who are Israeli citizens but who have long complained about unequal treatment.

Israel's High Court Reinstates Candidacy of 2 Israeli Arabs
Israel's Supreme Court restored the candidacy of two Israeli Arab legislators today, overturning a ban that had stirred resentment among the country's Arab minority and prompted a debate about the country's identity.

The 11 Israeli justices reinstated the candidacy of Azmi Bishara and Ahmad Tibi, two Arab members of the Israeli Parliament who had been struck from the ballot by the country's election commission. The commission had removed the two men from the ballot on grounds that they had made statements that demonstrated a fundamental opposition to the character and existence of the Jewish state.

As a Jewish state, Israel has maintained an uneasy relationship with its 1.2 million Arab residents, who are Israeli citizens but who have long complained about unequal treatment. At the same time, as a country whose survival has been repeatedly challenged, Israel has tried to define the limits of acceptable political speech.

The court did not issue an opinion, but the ruling cleared the two men of violating laws that prohibit candidates from publicly opposing the existence of the Jewish state and of publicly supporting an armed struggle against it.

After the decision, Mr. Bishara and Mr. Tibi said they had won a victory for both free speech and the country's Arab population.

"Arabs in Israel will have a feeling they are not orphans of Israeli democracy, they are citizens of Israel," Mr. Bishara said after the decision. He predicted that the decision would encourage Israeli Arabs to vote in national elections, scheduled to be held later this month.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/10/international/middleeast/10ISRA.html