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There is no organized, institutionalized Arab feminism in Israel today. The assorted Palestinian women's organizations and groups that do exist there, most of which emerged in the late 1980s, constitute a hodgepodge of social and/or political mobilization. One way to gain some perspective on the women's movements and sundry ideological currents struggling in the Middle East today is to view them from a theoretical angle in terms of the relationship between gender and nation. Palestinian nationalism, the Islamic movement, and international aid organizations are all active and competitive players that bring gender rhetoric into play. Above and beyond ideological postures, Palestinian women in Israel demand the status and rights of citizens and try to link these demands to their national struggle. The object of the foregoing article is to put into perspective the representations of gender, the roles/ functions assigned to women and the forms of women's mobilization they may engender.