Palestinian-Arabs Volunteering in State Institutions in Israel: Reconciliation and Peacebuilding or Conflict and Suspicion?

Edith Blit Cohen, Hebrew University of JerusalemFollow
Mays Essa, Hebrew University of JerusalemFollow

Abstract

Volunteering in government institutions by national minorities in conflict with the state raises fascinating issues. The identity of Palestinian-Arabs in Israel is divided, as they belong to the Palestinian people and Arab nation, as well as nominal citizens of Israel. This perception study explores the meaning of the volunteering experience for fifteen Palestinian-Arabs in various Israeli state institutions. Three themes arise from the interview analysis: motives for volunteering, challenges faced by the volunteers, and their coping strategies. The study contributes to the theory and practice of the meaning of volunteering in government institutions for minority members in conflict with the state by demonstrating that volunteering is a way of belonging to the society despite the dilemmas and challenges it poses.

Author Bio(s)

Edith Blit-Cohen is a professor at the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is a community social worker, a lecturer and a researcher. She has practical experience in community work, community development and human rights. Her researches focus on excluded communities, politics of identities and community work.

Mays Essa is a Ph.D. student at the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is a Palestinian Arab born in Israel, volunteered for few years with children at risk, and is currently a social worker in the emergency services in East Jerusalem.

Keywords

volunteering, Palestinian-Arabs in Israel, government institutions, national minority, conflict, reconciliation

Recommended Citation

Blit Cohen, Edith and Essa, Mays (2022) "Palestinian-Arabs Volunteering in State Institutions in Israel: Reconciliation and Peacebuilding or Conflict and Suspicion?," Peace and Conflict Studies: Vol. 29: No. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/pcs/vol29/iss1/1