"מזל שמחמוד דרוויש מת לפני שראה את הדף הזה": השיח הפנים-ערבי בדף הפייסבוק "תרשום! אני ערבי"

Since the advent of the Internet, numerous studies have investigated how marginalized groups use online space as a platform to express their views due to their exclusion from mainstream discourse. Among these studies, digital platforms, especially social networks, have been found to offer a domain for the emergence of counterpublics—discursive arenas where group members articulate divergent interpretations of their identities and needs. While most literature on digital counterpublics analyzes their modes of operation and formation, scant attention has been given to how they are experienced and interpreted by group members. This is in spite of the fact that investigating the interpretations surrounding digital counterpublics may enhance our understanding of their contributions, as well as limitations, to the construction of collective identities. In order to address this theoretical gap, this study examines the Facebook page “Write down, I am an Arab,” which serves as a platform for the counterpublic of the Arab minority in Israel. It combines interviews with the page's participants with thematic analysis of user comments made by Arab respondents to their posts. The results reveal a significant discrepancy between two groups. While the page's participants and some commenters espouse a publicist approach, which advocates the presence of Arab voices in the public sphere, others prefer a separatist line, arguing that seeking recognition from institutions and mechanisms that have historically excluded them may impede their efforts to obtain recognition and equal rights. The latter group harshly criticizes the page and its participants. The findings highlight two main conclusions about counterpublics: first, they are not homogenous and not automatically legitimized by group members; second, the main point of contention among them lies in recognition or non-recognition of the hegemonic group.