As a democracy Israel, if it has an Arab majority, will be ruled by the Arabs, and so de facto become an Arab state. At present, the Arab citizens of Israel - not counting the Arabs of Judea, Samaria and Gaza - comprise about 18 per cent of the total Israeli population. They consider themselves to be Palestinians, yet citizens of Israel.

What is meant is the abolition of the Law of Return, which grants Jews of all countries the right to immigrate and become citizens of Israel, or the extension of this right to all Arabs as well. Israel would then cease to be a Jewish state, and become a Palestinian Arab state with a large Jewish minority. In their words, what they want is a "secular democratic binational state" - secular meaning not Jewish, democratic meaning ruled by its majority, namely the Arabs.

WHEN THE ARABS become a majority, there are two ways to prevent Israel from becoming an Arab state: the abolition of democracy in Israel with the revoking of citizenship from the majority of its citizens, so that a Jewish dictatorship can rule over the hostile Arab majority, or the retreat of Israel from all areas of large Arab population, creating a Jewish state with totally indefensible borders. Most Israelis are convinced that either option would lead to total disaster.