Arabs in Israel: Between soccer and martyrdom Tamir Sorek

The Arab citizens of Israel are torn between their ethno-national identity as Palestinians and their civic identity as Israelis. A main strategy to cope with the predicament is compartmentalization of public space. Soccer as a sphere of integration; heroic commemoration of martyrs as a Palestinian national sphere. Soccer is as well a political tool which legitimizes the political status quo.

The Arabs in Israel experience contradictions between different dimensions of their collective identity Membership in the transnational Palestinian collectivity The destruction of 1948 is part of their collective memory Exclusion from the formal definition of the state (Jewish) and from its symbols Discrimination They are Israeli citizens and they have learned to benefit from their legal rights Relative advantages compared to Arab citizens of neighboring countries. Involvement in the Israeli political sphere General bilingualism

Still: * Since the end of military rule in 1966, the Arabs in Israel have learned to benefit from their legal rights as Israeli citizens. * Despite limitations and restrictions, they know that they still have more freedom of expression and more economic opportunities than Arab citizens of neighboring countries. * they became involved in the Israeli political sphere: they elect are elected to the parliament They are exposed the Israeli media in Hebrew and they use Hebrew in their interactions with Jews – in the universities, hospital, commercial ties, and so on. The irony is that when they visit Egypt or Jordan, they are frequently considered as Israelis. Maybe the most difficult issue is that because of their double marginality, they consistently have to prove to both Israelis and Palestinians that they are either “more Israeli than Israelis” or alternatively, “more Palestinian than Palestinians” Sakhnin

Sakhnin “The martyrs’ village” OR “The soccer town” ?

Fractured public space, fractured local pride in Sakhnin Heroic memory of martyrdom Soccer Arab-Palestinian national pride Integration into Israeli society

Land Day: a myth of heroism and martyrdom

Fractured public space, fractured local pride in Sakhnin Heroic memory of martyrdom Soccer Arab-Palestinian national pride Integration into Israeli society

Over-involvement of the Arab population in the soccer sphere More teams Higher rating for TV soccer program More municipal support for soccer clubs

Why is there no Palestinian flag in the stadium? …because soccer is used by Arab fans to achieve acceptance as legitimate Israeli citizens.

Why has soccer been constructed as an integrative sphere? Sports was used by the state to distance young Arabs from national consciousness The creation of the ‘trinity’: Sports-Modernity-State Crisis of masculinity With growing commercialization, soccer has become a ‘liberal shelter’

2) Crisis of masculinity: Arab men were defeated in the war, lost their land and livelihood, and were subjected to humilating military rule. Muscular activity compensated for those, but without taking a risk (like joining the armed struggle). 3) Israeli political culture is a battleground between several discourses of citizenship. The main conflict is between a liberal discourse, and an Ethno-national discourse, With the growing commercialization of soccer since the 1980’s, it has been immersed in ethnic blind discourses. Therefore, Arab citizens have found it as a liberal ‘shelter’ from the prevalence of an exclusionary ethnic discourse of citizenship in Israel. Q and A Percentage of Arab teams in the Israeli soccer leagues, 1977-2000 (without the lowest division)

Soccer – an integrative sphere Heroic commemoration – a sphere of protest Soccer – an integrative sphere

The integrative interpretation is supported by the Hebrew media

Sakhninians who attended the soccer stadium tended more to vote for a Zionist candidate in the election ! Percentage of respondents who intended to vote for a Zionist candidate in the 1999 election (N=148)

Number of games attended Heavy spectators are less likely to be proud of their Palestinian identity Palestinian Pride Number of games attended

Conclusion The Arab citizens of Israel have developed a fractured public space as a political strategy In this context, soccer in Israel has been shaped as an integrative sphere; national protest has been canalized to specific memorial events and sites. The integrative orientation of soccer reflects the interests of both Arab fans and Hebrew media