The Israeli establishment prefers "Israeli Arabs" or "Arabs in Israel", and also uses the terms "the minorities", "the Arab sector", "Arabs of Israel" and "Arab citizens of Israel". These labels have been criticized for denying this population a political or national identification, obscuring their Palestinian identity and connection to Palestine. The term "Israeli Arabs" in particular is viewed as a construct of the Israeli authorities. It is nonetheless used by a significant minority of the Arab population, "reflecting its dominance in Israeli social discourse."