The Social Economic Unit at the Mossawa Center sent a letter today, Wednesday, to government ministers, calling on them to allocate 40 billion shekels from the government’s 2026 development budget to improving infrastructure in Arab towns. This call comes ahead of the discussion on the draft budget scheduled for Thursday, 4.12.2024, submitted by the Ministry of Finance. The Center noted that the total state budget for 2026 will exceed 700 billion shekels, of which approximately 200 billion shekels will be designated for infrastructure development. The Mossawa Center warned that the government intends to cancel the allocation designated for the Arab community under Government Decision 550—amounting to 3 billion shekels—which would deepen the economic and social disparities affecting the Arab community.
Civil Equality Minister Mai Golan has proposed taking over the 3 billion shekels allocated under Decision 550 and redirecting them to the police and intelligence services. The Mossawa Center pointed out that the Ministry of Public Security has already received 7.4 billion shekels over the past three years, yet the police have still failed to recruit a sufficient number of officers.
The Mossawa Center has been monitoring allocations designated for the Arab community in the state budget since 1999, tracking budget distribution and submitting petitions to combat socioeconomic discrimination. The Center stressed that the amount the government seeks to divert to the police represents less than 1% of the government’s development budget. It also noted that Government Decision 549, aimed at combating crime, was frozen by Minister Ben-Gvir, and that the police have failed to fulfill their responsibilities in addressing crime despite the budgets allocated in recent years, which funded the construction of numerous police stations in Arab towns, including Jisr al-Zarqa, Kafr Kanna, Tamra, and Kafr Yasif.
The Center emphasized that the next stage requires confronting discrimination in budget allocation both in the media and internationally, alongside popular and public advocacy led by Arab local authorities, which will be unable to provide essential services in light of these planned cuts.
The Mossawa Center will hold an emergency conference at the Knesset on Tuesday, 16.12.2025, in cooperation with members of the Parliamentary Finance Committee: Dr. Ahmad Tibi, Aida Touma-Suleiman, and Iman Khatib.
A link to the state budget and the government’s economic plan for 2026, discussed by the government on 4.12.2025.
https://tinyurl.com/byawxcj7
