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October 2020 Newsletter
State Budget Conference
The Mossawa Center will be holding its annual conference on the State Budget & Economic Development of Arab Society next week on Thursday, November 5.

We are pleased to invite you to this conference in which the Mossawa Center plans to introduce its proposal for a new economic development plan. We hope that this plan provides a blueprint for closing social and economic discrepancies.

The conference, a culmination of the Mossawa Center's work on the needs and demands of the Palestinian Arab community from the Israeli State Budget and in terms of economic development over the past year, will address the budget allocated to the Palestinian Arab community over the past fiscal year, as well as explore the requirements from the 20201 budget for the Palestinian Arab community.

This year, special attention will be devoted to the funding allocated to the Palestinian Arab community during the COVID Crisis. Additionally, the Mossawa Center will place the issue of economic development, particularly the lack of industrial zoning in Palestinian Arab localities, in the spotlight.

To register for the conference and join via Zoom, click here.
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Demanding increased funding for Palestinian Arab community in 2021 State Budget
The Israeli government decided to extend the 2015 Resolution 922, after failing to implement it, leaving billions of dollars worth of funding out of reach for the Palestinian Arab community. Out of the NIS 15 billion (~$4.4 billion) that were allocated for the economic development of the Palestinian Arab community, only about NIS 3.5 billion (~$1 billion) have actually been spent over the past 5 years.

Today, 90% of Arab authorities need government assistance and balancing grants from the Ministry of the Interior instead of relying on income from business property taxes. The Mossawa Center has demanded an increase in the budgets earmarked for the Palestinian Arab public towards 2021, after the budgets earmarked for Arab localities according to Resolutions 922 and 1480 have not been implemented since the beginning of the year. 
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Mossawa in the News
"The plan for the Arab sector has been extended, but with almost no additional budget" - Calcalist
"'Program 922 is like giving Acamol [Paracetamol] for patients in severe condition' Suha Salman Mousa; Executive Director of the Mossawa Center on the barriers of the five-year plan" - Maariv
"The government has approved the extension of the five-year plan for the Arab community" - Globes
"The Mossawa Center organizes advocacy workshops for university students" - Panet
"The Arab community demands the reopening of the investigation files from the events of October 2000" - Walla
Fostering the next generation of Palestinian Arab advocates
Aspiring Palestinian Arab university students from across the country took part in the Mossawa Center's advocacy training program, which equips them with the tools and knowledge to effectively advocate for the political, economic, social, cultural, and legal rights of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel.

The three-day program, held in cooperation with the Carmel Center, included various workshops and seminars, each focusing on a different field and aspect of advocacy. Students had the opportunity of learning and discussing countless issues relating to Palestinian Arab advocacy with legal experts, community organizers, local leaders, and Palestinian Arab Knesset members.

By the end of the workshop, the participants not only gained important skills in advocacy and knowledge, but also established a student advocacy network that address issues of concern for Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel.
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Building solidarity between the Palestinian Arab and Russian communities
On October 23, the Mossawa Center hosted a discussion panel titled Police Violence Against Ethnic Minorities in Israel, with the participation of former MK and Head of the High Follow Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel Mohammad Barakeh, Spokesperson for the Families of the Victims of the October 2000 Events Professor Mahmoud Yazbak, human rights activists and board member of Dor Moriah Dr. Michael Moore, former Chairman of the Association of Alumni of Russian and USSR Universities Dr. Samir Khatib, and Mossawa Center General Director and founder Jafar Farah.
 
The event, held in Arabic and Russian simultaneously, provided a conclusion to the series of events held by the Mossawa Center to mark the 20-year anniversary of the October 2000 Events, where 13 Palestinian Arab civilians were killed by Israeli police. The discussion highlighted the unending police brutality and discrimination against the Palestinian Arab community in Israel.

Over 1000 people, mainly immigrants to Israel from Russia and the former USSR, participated in the event, which was also broadcast online. The discussion raised an important issue among the Russian-Israeli community with regards to October 2000, as well as the possible mechanisms of cooperation between the Russian and the Palestinian Arab communities.
 
Project Solidarity, led by the Mossawa Center over the past year, deals with the identification and development of collaborations between the Palestinian Arab minority and other marginalized groups in Israel which suffer from ethnic discrimination and racism, such as the Russian and Mizrahi communities.
Online seminar with American activists on Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel
The Mossawa Center's Executive Director, Suha Salman Mousa, along with other Palestinian Arab leaders and activists and over a dozen American activists, took part in an online seminar entitled The Palestinian Minority: Issues of Justice and Equality, where she highlighted the challenges facing the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel in light of discriminatory legislation and policies by the Israeli government.

Salman Mousa also focused on the often ignored individual and collective achievements of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel. The achievements of Palestinian Arab medical teams and staff in the Israeli healthcare system during the COVID crisis are one of the greatest examples of this community's potential.

In addition to discussing the Palestinian Arab community itself, Salman Mousa identified what the American public can do regarding the issue. She made it clear that the international community, especially the American public, should not rely solely on information obtained from the foreign and American media, and that it must search for the truth and hear the whole story.

By communicating with our organization and participating in our international seminars and online events, the international community and members of the general public can gain exclusive access and knowledge to the situation on the ground in the region.
Meetings with the EU Ambassador, Swedish Ambassador, and Canadian Deputy Ambassador
On October 26, the Mossawa Center visited international representatives in Tel Aviv. Mossawa Center General Director and founder Jafar Farah, along with the Coordinator of International Advocacy and Resource Development, Wasim Nasser, met with EU Ambassador, HE Mr. Emanuele Giaufret, in order to discuss current politics, COVID-19, and issues facing the Arab community in Israel.

They also took the opportunity to discuss the Mossawa Center's solidarity initiative between marginalized communities. Farah and Nasser also met with newly appointed Swedish Ambassador HE Mr. Erik Ullenhag as well as Canadian Deputy Head of Mission Dr. Martin Larose in order to introduce the Mossawa Center's work, along with the promotion of solidarity and raise awareness of issues facing marginalized communities in Israel.
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