Jews and Arabs in the state of Israel: Is there a basis for a unified civic identity?

Critics of the current 'Jewish and democratic state' call for its replacement with the formula of a Western-type liberal civic state, which could express the multicultural reality of Jewish and Arab existence-'A state of all its citizens'. This article outlines the major implications of adopting one of the Western formulae of a 'civic nation state' in Israel. It points to ideas in this direction that have been publicly aired by both Arabs and Jews, and assesses the possible impact of such modification on majority-minority relations. The low feasibility of their adoption under current conditions should not rule out such modifications in changed circumstances.