Roundtable Discussion: The Status of the Arabic Language in Israel

The recently passed Nation State Law changed the status of Arabic from an official language in the State of Israel to a language with “special status". Although some may view this as only a symbolic measure, this decision has broad implications for the Israeli public. Our discussion will examine this change from a broad perspective and will relate to the many aspects of this issue. Among other things, we will discuss the study of Arabic in the education system, the presence of the Arabic language in the public and media arenas and language as a means for cultural expression.