Last update - 00:00 09/08/2007
Arab rights group: Add NIS 3.8 billion to Arab sector budget
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
The Mossawa Center, an Israeli Arab rights group, is demanding that NIS 3.8 billion be added to the Arab sector in order to close the widening social gaps between the Arab and Jewish population in Israel.
In a position paper sent by Mossawa to all government ministers, in preparation for upcoming discussions on the 2008 budget, a detailed breakdown of the funds needed in each area were listed.
According to the document, a large part of the requested budget, some NIS 2.7 billion, is intended for minimizing the infrastructure gaps that exist in Arab communities.
Mossawa's chief economist Amin Fares, who prepared the position paper detailing the budget demands, said that the discrimination against the Arab population not only damages the lives of the Arab citizens but the entire economy.
"The infrastructure gaps and poverty inflicting the Arab population minimizes Israel's potential for economic growth. A just allocation of the state's budget would properly utilize the human capital potential which exists in the Arab community," Fares said.