The author???s examination of Israeli language law demonstrates the intricate relationship between legal policy, ideology and practice. Ideology and practice reflect the character of Israel as a nation-state where Hebrew has been perceived as a national symbol. At the same time, there are several groups in Israel which speak other languages including a considerable minority of Arabic speaking citizens for whom Arabic bears a national significance. In spite of the ideological conflict, legislation and court decisions have recognized and granted group-differentiated language rights to the Arabic speaking minority and to speakers of other languages. Te case of Israel thus illustrates the complexity of granting language rights in a nation-state and also how conflicting rights can be balanced.