The paper, written in close coordination with the Israel Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, was presented as part of the week-long Second Annual Days of Mossawa Festival and Nazareth Film Festival, which ended Saturday.

"Our goal is to achieve a historic compromise with the Jewish community in Israel," Mossawa Center director Jafar Farah told the conference. "The move by refugees of 1948 to their villages will not change the demographic balance or endanger the Jews. Unlike the refugees in Arab states, we are [already] here," Farah said. "The internal refugees [residents forced to leave their villages in 1948 who moved to other Arab communities within Israel] represent about one-fourth of the Arab population in Israel today."

Farah said the paper was spurred by a sense among many Israeli Arabs that they must have their say at a time when many Israeli organizations are working to frame a national constitution.

"We found ourselves in an absurd situation, in which Jews are deciding what is good for the Arabs because the Arab elites are not involved in the discussions. Now the decision makers will have to take our opinion into account," Farah said.

The 10-point position paper emphasizes the need to grant communal rights to the Arab public, including the increased use of the Arabic language; equality and fairness in immigration policy; the correct allotment of national resources; and fair representation. With regard to national symbols, the paper says: "The state's symbols, its flag and its national anthem are emotionally charged, public resources ... the state must give appropriate expression to the presence of Arab citizens in Israel and its historical relationship to the place."

Among the many jurists participating in the conference was Supreme Court Justice Salim Jubran, who said the existing Basic Right on Citizenship law must be amended to complete the constitutional protection of minority groups. He repeated his opposition to the Citizenship Law, which restricts the rights of Israeli Arabs to marry Palestinians.

Another participant, Dr. Raef Zreik, said the position paper does not refer to the Israeli Arabs' position regarding the Jewish majority in the country. He said the Israeli Arabs can officially recognize the right of the Jewish public to a state only as part of an overall peace agreement with the Palestinian people.

Dr. Maya Choshen of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, who edits the Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem, confirmed that the data used to compare Jewish and Arab birthrates was accurate, but noted it only covered one year. "Statistical trends must be examined over a number of years before reaching conclusions," Choshen added.

The researchers Bennett Zimmerman, Roberta Seid, Michael Wise and Yoram Ettinger recommend annexing 100,000 Palestinians to Jerusalem in order to resolve the city's demographic problem. According to the four, as a result of annexing additional East Jerusalem territory leading toward Ma'aleh Adumim, Givat Ze'ev and Gush Etzion, the Jewish population will also increase by tens of thousands and negative Jewish emigration out of the capital will be reduced.

Recently, the political parties of Kadima and Labor have adopted the approach that outskirts of the city with large Arab populations should be removed from the Jerusalem jurisdiction to resolve the capital's demographic issues.

This could make the city a magnet for the Jewish population, tipping the demographic scales toward it. "Avoiding expanding city territory, due to concerns of a demographic burden, will increase the housing and employment burden and accelerate negative emigration out of Jerusalem," the report states.

The researchers reiterate previous findings that Jerusalem's key problem is negative Jewish emigration, which stems from tight housing and job markets. They attribute the distress to a lack of land for transportation infrastructure, which they say is only resolvable by doubling city jurisdiction.

In the 2000-2003 period, 63,000 residents left Jerusalem, while only 37,000 moved to the capital. In the past 25 years, 311,000 residents have moved away, while 208,000 Jews have changed their place of residence to the city.

However, the cabinet adopted the proposal offered by Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz to carry preventative action against the Qassam fire.

Peretz told the cabinet meeting that the Israeli army should fire at the Palestinian militants who involved in rocket firing as the ceasefire in Gaza is only being observed partly by the Palestinian side.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also voiced support to Peretz proposal at the cabinet meeting, saying that "Israel mustact responsibly and wisely, while considering all aspects of the matter."

His speech was echoed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who said that the "situation is sensitive, and we must act wisely and with serious consideration."

The newborn mutual ceasefire between Palestinians and Israel seems short-lived, as the Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli counterattacks continued regardless of the truce deal.

On Nov. 26, following months of Israeli military operations, Israel and the Palestinians agreed on a ceasefire under it Israel withdrew forces from Gaza in exchange for stopping home-made rocket attacks against Israel.

The incident took place while the soldiers clashed with Palestinian demonstrators and stone-throwers in Nablus, they added.

In southern West Bank city of Hebron, medical sources said an eight-year-old boy was critically wounded after an Israeli settler opened fire at him.

The ongoing violence in West Bank threatens a fragile ceasefire started in Gaza last Sunday.

In the wake of the violence in the West Bank, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced it has suspended its participation in a special committee formed earlier in the day to oversee ways of enforcing the truce deal.

Despite the Palestinian hope that the ceasefire could be extended to cover West Bank, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz confirmed earlier in the day that Israel would continue its military operations in West Bank.

Moreover, Peretz orders his army to open fire at any Palestinian militant in Gaza who tried to launch home-made rockets into Israel.

The newborn mutual ceasefire between Palestinians and Israel seems short-lived, as Israeli artillery was reported to have resumed shelling northern Gaza Strip on Sunday afternoon.

On Nov. 26, following months of Israeli military operations,Israel and the Palestinians agreed on a ceasefire under it Israel withdrew forces from Gaza in exchange for stopping home-made rocket attacks against Israel.