The Sikkuy Report 2007 – The Equality Index of Jewish and Arab Citizens in Israel

[ProgressiveMuslim]

From the The Sikkuy Report
The Equality Index of
Jewish and Arab Citizens in Israel
Editor: Ali Haider, Adv.(snip)

Excerpt from A Message from the Co-Executive Directors


From October 2000 until now relations between the Palestinian public on the one hand, and
the State and the Jewish majority on the other, have been characterized by frequent crises.
Moreover, the intensification of extremism and racism towards the Arab citizens is reflected in
frequently published public opinion surveys; in the continued demolition of homes in Arab communities
in general and in the Negev in particular, and in the persecution of leaders and political
activists by means of investigations and trials.

In addition, the plan to deny citizenship to Arabs living along the Green Line is receiving widespread
support from Israeli politicians and intellectuals and to date has not been publicly condemned
by the prime minister. The declaration by the head of the Shin Bet security services that
the Arab citizens represent a strategic threat indicates the depth of abhorrence of the minority.
In addition there have been statements by politicians such as MK Efraim Eitam, who promised in
the Knesset plenum (on March 26, 2008) that "the day will come when we will expel you," and by
recent statements by Jewish religious leaders, such as the repeated statements of Safed chief
rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu openly inciting against the Arab public and its leaders. The circumstances
that led the Arab citizens to demonstrate in October 2000 are still in place: The Israeli-Palestinian
conflict is escalating, and the situation of the Arab citizens is steadily worsening. Since the
events of October the State has done nothing concrete to repair the historical injustice. In light of
the continuation of the discriminatory policy, it is possible that the events of October 2000 were
only a foretaste of what is still liable to happen in another future confrontation.

(snip)

Sikkuy is a catalyst for change in government policy on equality between Jews and Arabs. If to
date we have documented the results of discrimination in reports, now we are investigating the
mechanisms that intensify it. In the past year we have been engaged in mapping the patterns of
resource allocation in the government ministries. Our recommendations for a change in policy
are already finding a more attentive ear in the ministries in Jerusalem than in the past, but the
pace is slow and we must accelerate our efforts considerably, because history does not wait, and
the anticipated outcome of discrimination is imminent. This is a race between a deterioration of
relations in the country and an improvement of the situation through a change in policy.

(snip)

According to the picture that emerges from the index, inequality between Jews and Arabs is
increasing in almost every one of the areas that we examined, as well as in the Weighted Index.
The data in the index serve as a warning of the destructive outcome of government policy, and
the analyses serve as a platform for changing this policy.

link to message & full report:

http://www.sikkuy.org.il/english/home.html

[Violet_Crumble]

1. Thanks for posting that, PM...

I'll have a read through it in the morning :)