Monday, October 25, 2021
Billions plan for integration
Israel wants to promote the Arab minority
In Israel, under the new Prime Minister Bennett, there is a coalition of eight parties – including an Arab one. On their initiative, the government approved a comprehensive economic plan for all Arabs living and working in Israel.
Israel’s government has approved a multi-billion dollar economic plan to reduce social disadvantages for the Arab minority in the country. Around eight billion euros are to be invested over the next five years, as announced by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office. Of the roughly 9.4 million Israelis, around 20 percent are Arabs.
Among other things, the money will be used to finance Hebrew courses for better integration into the labor market and to expand childcare. “I believe that this plan will give hope to many people who live in Israel and will ultimately also reduce crime and violence,” said Minister for Social Equality, Meirav Cohen, according to the statement. Accordingly, health care should also be improved and thousands of new housing units should be marketed. In older neighborhoods, the infrastructure is to be improved, including with rainwater runoff to prevent flooding.
The extensive development plans come just a few weeks before the adoption of the 2021/2022 budget, which is crucial for the coalition’s survival. The eight-party coalition under Bennett has to approve the budget by November 14th at the latest, otherwise parliament will automatically dissolve – there would be new elections. The coalition, to which the Arab Raam party belongs, only has a wafer-thin majority. Recently, members of Raam had repeatedly insisted that their demands in support of the Arab population be met.
At the same time, the government approved a five-year plan with a budget of around 670 million euros to combat crime and violence among the Arab population. More than 100 people from the Arab sector have been killed since the beginning of the year, often as part of gang wars. At the beginning of the month, a ministerial committee decided that the fight against illegal weapons in the Arab sector should in future also include the army and the secret service.