Muna and her friends were all educated and confident Arab-Israeli women, so why did they know nothing of their heritage? And what exactly happened to make them finally gain this awareness? As Israeli-Arab women in Israel's northern city of Haifa described their childhood experiences, a previously undisclosed area of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict began to emerge, one that draws a picture of a forbidden history and of life in a racially divided society.

"There is no awareness of who we are," complained Rana, a 27-year-old social worker, as she spoke of her 11-year-old nephew. "He was wearing an American flag bandana. I told him that 'America doesn't treat Arabs correctly' and do you know what he replied? He said 'so what, I am Israeli'."

"As a child I was not allowed to say 'Palestine' in my school," Sawsan recalled. "The books only teach about Jewish history. In eleventh grade I had to learn Jewish history and had to show emotion. I had to write exams on the topic."

As a result of being taught in the Israeli educational system, many of the younger generation in the Arab-Israeli community do not know of their forefathers' history.

The outbreak of the second intifada in October 2001 was key to widespread enlightenment regarding a distinct Arab-Israeli history and experience. As Hania, 47, explained, "this was the year that Arab-Israelis woke up. There were lots of demonstrations about the way we as Arabs are treated in this society."

The second intifada was an epic moment in Arab-Israeli relations, not only between the Israeli state and the Occupied Territories, but also between Israeli-Arabs and Jews within Israel. Ariel Sharon's visit to the Al Aqsa mosque stirred outbursts of anger within both the Occupied Territories and the Arab community in Israel.

The uprising in Israel in October 2000 involved thousands of people in the Arab city of Nazareth and the surrounding villages in Northern Israel. By the end of the uprising 13 were dead and over 100 were maimed, many in the head from live ammunition by the Israeli police force.

The uprising acted as a catalyst, sparking open discussion about the racial inequality Arab-Israelis faced compared to their Jewish counterparts. The reality that members of the Arab intelligencia had always known was now becoming common knowledge through all strata of Palestinian society: that Arab-Israelis were unfairly disadvantaged in all sectors of social life.

According to Mossawa, an Arab-Israeli human rights nongovernmental organization, inequality in law and in the allocation of resources in Israel have resulted in grave injustices to the Palestinian citizens of Israel. Their Website, www.mossawacenter.org, states that "since the founding of the State, Israeli government policies have deliberately disregarded the needs of the Arab population, leaving these citizens subject to severe discrimination at the level of legislation, government policies and state budget allocations".

The impact of such policies is such that 60 percent of Arab children live in poverty. Furthermore, Arabs are unfairly disadvantaged in the job market. For example, Sawsan was an English teacher and taught at a state school. When the recession hit in 2002 she was the first to lose her job, which she claims is due to her Palestinian heritage.

Rima, an employee at an Arab-Israeli NGO, explained that many Arabs face difficulties in getting jobs because they have not served in the army (Druze are the only Arabs to serve in the Army). In addition, students complained that they were unable to secure university scholarships for the same reason.

The underlying message of these examples is that Arabs are not contributing, valued members of Israeli society. As Sawsan made clear, she was not surprised to have been the first to lose her job as she does not fit into the making of the Israeli state.

Since the intifada began and the uprising in Israel occurred, the Arab-Israeli community has seen a degeneration of racial divisions as mistrust on both sides increased. Even in the once peacefully coexisting city of Haifa, where Arabs and Jews have for years lived together in harmony, the acceptance of the other racial group is strained.

Racially motivated antagonism and violence is also on the increase. Arab-Israelis, young men especially, are increasingly subjected to random bag searches similar to the experiences of ethnic minorities in British cities since the July 7 bombings, thus making their distinct ethnic identity more pronounced.

Najwa, a 19-year-old English university student recalled the graffiti written on her dormitory door stating 'Death to all Arabs'. Similarly, Muna spoke of repeated arson attacks on her home by her Jewish Orthodox neighbors. When the police initially refused to cooperate with her, she said that she felt it was "moments like [these] when we cannot happily say that this is our police force, that this police force belongs to us".

So, with the intifada beginning its sixth year, it is unlikely that memories of anger, hatred and inequality will be forgotten. If anything, the racially inspired violence in Shfaram last August - in which a Jewish extremist murdered four Arab-Israelis and was subsequently killed by members of the Arab-Israeli community - is evidence that the awareness of a distinct Palestinian heritage among Israeli-Arabs is only set to grow stronger.

This is cache, read story here