Israel approves $10 billion plan to assist Arab sector
Money will go toward economic and social development and to fight crime amid wave of violence
Israel on Sunday approved two plans amounting to $10 billion (NIS 32 billion) for economic and social development and to fight crime in the country's Arab sector amid a wave of violence that has claimed the lives of more than 100 Arab citizens since the start of the year.
The cabinet passed the proposals at its weekly meeting.
The five-year plans next head to the Knesset (Israel parliament) where they are expected to pass as part of the state budget in early November.
“Our goal is to reduce the gaps in education, welfare, women’s employment and the economic-municipal sphere in particular,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the cabinet on Sunday afternoon.
“As we deepen the math and science education in Arab society, we will increase the participation of Arabs in the high-tech market and we will all benefit," Bennett continued.
The bigger package carries a price tag of $9.2 billion (NIS 29.5 billion) that includes crime initiatives and increasing access to health care, among other priorities.
A second, smaller plan worth $750 million (NIS 2.4 billion) just focuses on fighting the surge in violent crime plaguing Arab communities.
Other areas receiving funding include housing, local government, the environment and improving digital communication.
"This will not erase years of neglect but will go a long way to close the gaps between Jewish and Arab sectors," MK Mansour Abbas, leader of the Islamist Ra'am party, said of the government program.