Legal Identity, Shared Sovereignty, and the Foundations of Equal Belonging

Understanding Jewish and Palestinian Equality in Israel examines how law, belonging, dignity, and justice shape everyday life between the river and the sea. Written from my perspective as an African-American Christian who practices Judaism, the series seeks understanding rather than ideology. Earlier essays explored equality among Israel’s citizens (Part I), distinctions between civilian and military rule (Part II), security structures (Part III), the psychology of bias (Part IV), and the moral teachings of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Part V). Later essays examined coexistence (Part XI), the economic foundations of equality (Part XII), displacement and return (Part XIII), recognition (Part XIV), citizenship (Part XV), security (Part XVI), political imagination (Part XVII), identity (Part XVIII), justice and accountability (Part XIX), shared public space (Part XX), collective psychology (Part XXIV), and religion as a political actor (Part XXV).

Part XXVI builds on these themes by examining how citizenship and constitutional design can create the legal and moral structure necessary for equality.

What types of citizenship frameworks and constitutional structures can support equality, protect dignity, and ensure the shared flourishing of Israelis and Palestinians in a future political order?

Citizenship is the legal expression of belonging. In societies shaped by conflict, it determines who is protected by the law, who can participate politically, and whose identity is recognized by the state. Between the river and the sea, citizenship is deeply contested and unevenly distributed. Israelis hold full citizenship within the State of Israel, while Palestinians experience a spectrum of legal statuses: citizenship for Palestinians inside Israel, residency for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, and varying forms of limited or nonexistent citizenship in the West Bank and Gaza. This essay examines global models of shared citizenship, constitutional design, and binational political arrangements. Drawing on comparative constitutional law and on traditions within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, it argues that equal citizenship is essential to the long-term stability and moral legitimacy of any future political framework.

Around the world, states facing deep ethnic, religious, or national divisions have adopted constitutional models designed to protect minority rights, balance representation, and ensure that political competition does not threaten the survival of any group. Belgium developed complex power-sharing arrangements between linguistic communities. Canada crafted asymmetrical federalism to accommodate Quebec’s national identity. South Africa transitioned from minority rule to a constitutional democracy protecting all its citizens. Bosnia created a multi-ethnic presidency to avoid dominance by any single group. These models differ, but they share a common premise: constitutional design must reflect the lived reality of divided societies.²

Israel–Palestine presents its own challenges and opportunities. Any future political framework........

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