The government at a special meeting Wednesday afternoon approved unanimously a proposal by Minister for Social Equality Gila Gamliel (Likud), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu), of a five-year plan (2016-2020) of assistance to the Arab sector to the tune of $3.85 billion.
The confirmation of this plan came after the government had failed in two previous sessions, last Sunday and on Wednesday morning, to reach an agreement on the program. The final confirmation came after a few “insignificant” amendments, including encouraging a more vigorous spacious construction, the creation of a team to examine ways of enforcement of standards in Arab sector construction, and a team to encourage national service by Arab young adults—which some ministers wanted to make compulsory. Also, quite significantly, mixed cities, such as Jerusalem, Haifa, Acre and Tel-Aviv Jaffa were left out of the program in general, but Arab residents in those cities will be included in the plan.
Minister Gamliel, whose office is in charge of economic development of minority sectors, said after the plan’s approval that “this is an historic and important way to reduce gaps and to promote social equality in Israel. The approved plan is very comprehensive and addresses all areas relating to life in the local municipalities and the Arab citizens of Israel. The plan generates a dramatic message: for the first time, an Israeli government is changing the mechanisms for allocation of funds in government ministries to ensure that Israel’s Arab citizens will receive their proportional share in the state budget. This is a broad and balanced plan, providing an immediate response to the requirements of local municipalities in improving the lives of residents while at the same time contributing substantially to the infrastructure in education, transportation, employment, and housing — which in turn will serve as fertile ground for economic growth and a real reduction of socio-economic gaps.”
Minister Gamliel is expected to convene on Thursday the Ministerial Committee on the Advancement of Arab Society, to approve the transfer of an additional $230 million for the advancement of the Bedouin villages in the north.
At the start of the meeting, which was not attended by the ministers from the Bayit Yehudi party, Gamliel was criticized sharply by two ministers from the right wing of her own party, Ofir Akunis and Miri Regev, who were later joined by other Likud ministers, who were arguing against the way the plan is dealing with assistance to the Arab population in the mixed cities, and suggested the plan suffers from a series of additional shortcomings. The Israeli right has long held that Israeli Arabs are entitled to their fair share of the budget only if they also contribute through orderly payment of taxes and participation in the entire range of obligations born by being citizens.
During that debate, Minister of Science Akunis contended that “I have studies that refute this plan,” to which Minister Gamliel replied: “I do not wish to run the kind of shallow meeting Akunis want.” To which Minister Regev responded, “Such a form of expression is unacceptable. You can talk like that to your subordinates, but not to the ministers at a cabinet meeting.”
At which point Prime Minister Netanyahu intervened in the debate and stressed that this is an historical plan if only due to its cost, the highest investment ever in the Arab sector. He countered fears of the program ending up in corrupt hands on the receiving end saying he does not want the money directed to the “Wild West,” but to improve the situation of Israeli Arabs, who are part of Israeli society. Naturally, the plan is conditioned on the Arabs’ adhering to the laws of the State of Israel. He also said that Israeli Arabs must move to spacious construction, which means building taller housing buildings, instead of sprawling construction that’s taking over land that does not belong to them.