The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic and Hebrew, and with varying social identities. Self-identification as Palestinian citizens of Israel has sharpened in recent years, alongside distinct identities including Galilee and Negev Bedouin, the Druze people, and Arab Christians and Arab Muslims who do not identify as Palestinians. In Arabic, commonly used terms to refer to Israel's Arab population include 48-Arab (Arab Thamaniya Wa-Arba'in) and 48-Palestinian (فلسطينيو 48). Since the Nakba, the Palestinians that have remained within Israel's 1948 borders have been colloquially known as "48-Arabs". In Israel itself, Arab citizens are commonly referred to as Israeli-Arabs or simply as Arabs; international media often uses the term Arab-Israeli to distinguish Arab citizens of Israel from the Palestinian Arabs residing in the Palestinian territories.
The traditional vernacular of most Arab citizens of Israel, irrespective of their religious affiliation, is Levantine Arabic. This includes Lebanese Arabic in northern Israel, Palestinian Arabic in central Israel, and Bedouin dialects across the Negev; having absorbed many Hebrew loanwords and phrases, the modern dialect of the Arab citizens of Israel is defined by some as the Israeli Arabic dialect. Most Arab citizens of Israel are functionally bilingual, with their second language being Hebrew. By religious affiliation, the majority are Sunni Muslims. However, there is a significant Christian minority from various Christian denominations, as well as a Druze minority, among other ethnic and religious communities.
According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, the Arab-Israeli population in 2019 was estimated to be around 1,890,000, representing 20.95 percent of the country's population. The majority of these citizens identify themselves as Arab or Palestinian by nationality and as Israeli by citizenship.