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The New Era of Israeli-Arab Nazareth

The youth of Nazareth, the largest Arab city in Israel, are determined to integrate into Israeli society, but only as equals among equals.
Pope Benedict XVI is seen on a large screen as he celebrates a mass on Mount Precipice in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth (seen in background) May 14, 2009. Pope Benedict, visiting the town of Jesus's boyhood, on Thursday addressed the largest crowd of his Middle East trip and said governments had a duty to defend traditional heterosexual marriage and family values. More than 40,000 people attended the outdoor mass -- celebrated in Arabic, English and Latin -- in the area of Nazareth known as Mount Pr
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NAZARETH, Israel — This is the largest Arab city in Israel, in the Northern District of the country.

Fadoul Mazawi parked his shiny Lexus on a side street in the city. He gingerly worked his way between two other brand-new cars, a Mercedes and a BMW. “This is not the Nazareth that you once knew,” he said with a broad grin. ”What you see around here is not only a thriving Arab city, but [also] an Arab culture that is quite unlike what most Jews have come to know.”

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