The JIIS project, From Alienated to Shared Citizenship, is addressing the Arab sector's place in Israeli society by designing a model that offers a new constitutional approach to Jewish-Arab relations. The interdisciplinary research team, headed by Prof. Yitzhak Reiter, recently presented the latest stage of the project to senior policy makers, among them Minister of Minorities Avishay Braverman, a number of Knesset members and public figures.

The model is based on the analysis of 10 primary issues, ranging from "The national character of the State of Israel in a democratic framework" to "The responsibility of the Jewish and Arab leadership to create mechanisms to facilitate dialogue between majority and minority."  

Minister Braverman agreed that there were certainly areas that are in dire need of improvement when it comes to applying government policy. He added that his ministry is working on a 10-year strategic plan to boost the status of Israel's minorities and expressed interest in collaborating with the JIIS team to achieve shared aims. 

Reiter points out that any progress in majority-minority relations can only be made by substantial reform of Israel's ideological and constitutional position. "The project thus focuses on attempts to reframe the concept of citizenship in general, and particularly our approach to equal rights and obligations for all."