The matzah craving among Israel's Arab citizens - about 20 percent of the
population - reflects their ambiguous place in the Jewish state. While they speak Hebrew, carry Israeli passports and wear Israeli brands, many say they suffer discrimination and identify themselves as Palestinians.

Still, they love matzah.

"We eat it from the start of the holiday to the end, and when we run out we buy more," said Umaima Igbaria, a 35-year-old Muslim woman who lugged a carton of matzah out of a supermarket in the Arab town of Umm el-Fahm in northern Israel.

She said she, her husband and their three sons all eat matzah, usually with tea and slathered with chocolate sauce. She said they didn't care if it was Jewish food.

Inside the store, a 5-foot-tall (1.5-meter-tall) stack of matzah boxes stood in the entryway, all that remained of the more than 4 tons that owner Tariq Ifin ordered for the holiday, which began Monday night. He had no doubts the rest would sell.