Would allowing Arab citizens of Israel to return to the villages from which they fled or were displaced in 1948 improve the relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel?

This past weekend, the Mossawa Center, an Arab advocacy group, published a position paper that discussed various issues relating to the state's relationship with its Arab minority. The paper, one of four slated for presentation in the coming weeks, was prompted by the recent efforts to draft a constitution.

Later this week, the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee will present a paper on "The vision for the future of Palestinian Arabs in Israel." Later this month, a group of Arab Israeli intellectuals will unveil the "Haifa Document," which discusses, inter alia, Arab Israelis' relationship with Palestinians in the territories and overseas. Both of these documents also address the issue of Palestinian refugees, with special emphasis on Arab Israelis' right to return to their former villages.

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Jafar Farah, Mossawa's director, insisted that this idea is not meant "to lay mines for the sake of separatism." Rather, he said, "we are presenting a paper whose goal is equality and substantive participation," and for those displaced in 1948, "a return to their villages and recognition of the injustice they suffered are necessary conditions for a sense of belonging to and partnership in the country."

MK Mohammed Barakeh (Hadash) stressed that this is not only a political issue. "For many people, it is a personal and family matter," he explained. "Therefore, we have not accepted in the past, and will not accept in the future, that the condition for integration and coexistence is the dictation of the Zionist narrative to Arab citizens."

Added Wakim Wakim, a spokesman for the Committee for the Rights of the Displaced in Israel: "There is no doubt that the question of the displaced persons has gained momentum in recent years and has become a central and important matter not only for the [political] parties, but also for social organizations that are active in the Arab sector. And to our delight, we have also found organizations in Jewish Israeli society that are willing to talk about a just solution to the problem of the refugees, including the displaced persons within Israel. We are talking about a quarter of a million people who, by Israeli law, are 'present absentees,' and their return to their villages would not constitute any demographic threat. Therefore, all the organizations realize that without bringing this problem up for a real and thorough discussion, it will not be possible to talk about a change in the state's relationship with the Arab public."

But while most Israeli Arab organizations agree on this issue, that in no way ends the larger debate within the Israeli Arab public about the state's relationship with its Arab citizens, and vice versa. For instance, jurist Raif Zariq complained that while "it is clear to everyone that it is not possible to achieve a historic compromise without a just solution to the problem of the refugees, including the displaced persons, at the same time, [Israeli Arabs] support initiatives like the Oslo and Geneva agreements, on the grounds that these agreements provide the best solutions [attainable] at this time, given the balance of power."

But despite such disagreements, many say the very fact that Israeli Arabs are finally discussing these issues openly is healthy, and could eventually spark a real dialogue with the state as well. And it is not only Arabs who think so.

The fact that Israeli Arab organizations "are saying, 'let's pick up the gauntlet and perhaps we can see how to integrate into the state,' is in my eyes very important, and I welcome it," said MK Michael Eitan (Likud). At this stage, he said, the content of the ideas is not important; "the very fact that the two sides will sit and talk can only bring them closer," he added.