What do indigenous parties want? The case of palestinian citizens of Israel

What explains the persistent fragmentation within the Palestinian-Arab party system in Israel, even under circumstances that ostensibly encourage unity? This study seeks both to understand why Arab parties in Israel do not unite and to explore what this phenomenon reveals about intra-ethnic relations, inter-party competition and the Israeli regime. The study contends that the interplay between Palestinian structural weaknesses, a solid base of support that some of the parties have, and different conceptions of Palestinian indigeneity foster excessive partisan loyalty, inter-party animosity, and political agendas that are incongruent with those of the average Palestinian citizen of Israel. Within this context, achieving unity becomes increasingly challenging, even if the vast majority of Palestinian citizens desire inter-party harmony.