Conference Presentation
Between Sect and Nation: Christian–Muslim Relations and Palestinian Citizenship in Israel
Speaker
Dr. Ameer Fakhoury
Date & Time
Monday, 25 January 2027
16:00–17:00 CET
Format
Live Online via Zoom
Contact
ameer.fakhoury.adv@gmail.comDr. Ameer Fakhoury
Polonsky Academy for Advanced Study
Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
Jerusalem, Israel
Presentation Details
Monday, 25 January 2027
16:00–17:00 CET
Christians and Muslims in Israel — Facts, Myths and Lived Reality
Religion, Society & Interreligious Studies
International Academic Conference Series
Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature
Belgrade, Serbia
Live online via Zoom
Academic Profile
Dr. Ameer Fakhoury is a scholar whose work spans cultural sociology and political sociology, with particular attention to collective identity, Arab Christian identity, Christian–Muslim relations, Palestinian citizenship in Israel, shared society, nationalism, symbolic boundaries, political belonging and Israeli-Palestinian relations.
He was born in Acre and is based in Haifa.
He is affiliated with the Polonsky Academy for Advanced Study at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. At the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, his work is connected to intellectual and research initiatives dealing with shared society, nationalism and partnership-based approaches to Israeli-Palestinian peace.
His fields of practice include Cultural Sociology and Political Sociology.
Abstract
[Speaker-provided abstract to be added]
Presentation Focus
The presentation will examine how Christian–Muslim relations among Palestinian citizens of Israel are shaped by the intersection of religious difference, shared Palestinian national belonging, and the particular structures of citizenship in Israel.
Drawing on Dr. Fakhoury's research on what he describes as "liminal sectarianism," the presentation will consider recent changes, persistent tensions, and both the limits and possibilities of shared political and civic life.
Liminal Sectarianism
Dr. Fakhoury's recent research examines the symbolic and socio-political boundary work of Arab Christian citizens of Israel in relation to Arab Muslim co-ethnics.
His research uses the term "liminal sectarianism" to analyse circumstances in which sectarian categories and boundaries remain meaningful and socially available while not necessarily determining political or national belonging.
This framework considers the coexistence and interaction of religious distinctiveness, Arab Christian identity, Palestinian national belonging, citizenship, interreligious relations, political solidarity, symbolic boundary formation, and shared civic life in ways that avoid deterministic interpretations of sectarian identity.
Christian–Muslim Relations and Palestinian Citizenship in Israel
Dr. Fakhoury's research examines how Arab Christians negotiate religious distinction, national belonging and citizenship within the broader Arab/Palestinian minority in Israel.
His work addresses relevant themes including Christian–Muslim relations, Arab Christian identity, Palestinian citizenship in Israel, Palestinian national belonging, Israeli citizenship, symbolic boundaries, sectarian identity, shared civic life, nationalism, minority–majority relations, political inclusion, social inclusion, and collective identity.
Education and Academic Development
LL.B.
Faculty of Law
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
M.A., Political Science
Peace and Conflict Management Program
University of Haifa
Ph.D., Sociology
University of Haifa
Research focus: collective identity and narratives of Arab Christianity in Israel
Advanced Study Affiliation
Polonsky Academy for Advanced Study
Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
Professional Experience
Dr. Fakhoury has served as Director of the Research Unit at the School for Peace, Wahat al-Salam–Neve Shalom, where he was engaged in research and practice related to conflict resolution, shared society and Jewish-Arab relations.
He is now affiliated with the Polonsky Academy for Advanced Study at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, where his research and engagement focus on issues of shared society, nationalism, partnership-based peace approaches, and the lived experiences of communities in Israel-Palestine.
Research Interests
- Cultural Sociology
- Political Sociology
- Arab Christian Identity
- Christian–Muslim Relations
- Palestinian Citizenship in Israel
- Palestinian National Identity
- Shared Society
- Symbolic Boundaries
- Sectarianism
- Liminal Sectarianism
- Nationalism
- Ethnic and National Groups
- Minority–Majority Relations
- Political Belonging
- Civic Inclusion
- Israeli Society
- Israeli-Palestinian Relations
- Peace and Conflict Studies
- Collective Identity
- Interreligious Relations
Selected Research
Ameer Fakhoury. "Engaging liminal sectarianism under national domination: Arab Christian socio-political boundary work towards Muslim co-ethnics among Palestinian citizens of Israel." Mediterranean Politics, 2026. Published online 9 July 2026. DOI: 10.1080/13629395.2026.2695683
Ameer Fakhoury and Yuval Feinstein. "Inclusion under threat? Majority nationalism and the making of political boundaries in Israel." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2026.
Official Academic Profiles and Sources
Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
Shemesh Center for the Study of a Partnership-Based Peace
Visit Project →Conference Participation
Dr. Ameer Fakhoury presents "Between Sect and Nation: Christian–Muslim Relations and Palestinian Citizenship in Israel" at the Religion, Society & Interreligious Studies International Academic Conference Series on Monday, 25 January 2027, from 16:00 to 17:00 CET.
The conference, "Christians and Muslims in Israel — Facts, Myths and Lived Reality," is organised by the Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, Belgrade, Serbia, and takes place live online via Zoom.
Keywords
Suggested Citation
Fakhoury, Ameer. "Between Sect and Nation: Christian–Muslim Relations and Palestinian Citizenship in Israel." Presentation at Christians and Muslims in Israel — Facts, Myths and Lived Reality, Religion, Society & Interreligious Studies International Academic Conference Series, Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, 25 January 2027.
Attend Dr. Ameer Fakhoury's Presentation
Join Dr. Ameer Fakhoury's live online presentation, "Between Sect and Nation: Christian–Muslim Relations and Palestinian Citizenship in Israel," on Monday, 25 January 2027, from 16:00 to 17:00 CET.